A Phoenix and a Raven
by Ana the Romantic
Summary: Unrelated one-shots and short stories about our Raven and his Mistress. Anything and everything may make it in here from fluff to drama. Maleval, of course. I will update as I write on this one.
1. Alphabet

**A Phoenix and a Raven**

**Summary**: Unrelated one-shots and short stories about our Raven and his Mistress. Anything and everything may make it in here from fluff to drama. Maleval, of course. I will update as I write on this one.

**Disclaimer**: All characters and settings belong to Disney, I am just playing around with them for a few.

**Maleval Alphabet**

**A/N**: I did a fiction similar to this with another couple from OUAT and it was pretty fun, though somewhat frustrating. Twenty-six 100-word snippets of Diaval and Maleficent- little bits and pieces of their partnership and possible future. Not all of them turned out the way I wanted it to, but I did enjoy it for the most part. I didn't have a variable "x" word, so I found one that ended in x and went from there. Happy reading.

**Attraction**

Being a young raven searching for a mate in his parent's territory never led anywhere. He did as all ravens must: joined a small unkindness and continued his hunt. Aerial tricks perfected and beautiful feathers preened, he was ready to find her. His problem? No attraction was held for the she-ravens that showed interest. After leaving his unkindness, he was caught in a farmer's net. A wisp of magic turned him human and he looked his savior in her wild eyes. Something stuttered in his chest. Something that made him wish she was a raven who felt attraction for him.

**Branch **

When Maleficent became queen of the Moors, her throne grew a branch so that he was in reach should she want to smooth a hand over his feathers. A Rowen tree branch stayed empty for him when he came back from spying. He thought it strange that there was no special branch at the nest. Most nights he was in the nest, just above her right shoulder. She reached for him during nights she was lost to her night terrors and he calmed her with gentle clicks. Those nights he was content to be without a branch to perch on.

**Confusion**

Maleficent once had all the confidence in the world. Confidence in her curse, her revenge and that her decisions would protect the Moors. Until she began to listen to her raven. He questioned her decisions, made her think longer before she acted and always had a pesky way of not fearing her. He confused her greatly. From the way that he smirked at her attempts of intimidation to the way he would fly off to tend to the Beastie. All of this should enrage her, but she couldn't help but feel confused at the warmth that spread in her chest.

**Dismissal**

After Stefan fell and Aurora was safe in the Moors for the night, Maleficent found her raven on his perch by the throne. She didn't sit on the throne, but at the foot of it. He jumped down and she turned him into a man to sit next to her.

"You are free," she whispered.

Silence passed between them for the first time that she could remember.

"You're dismissing me?"

"Your vow is fulfilled."

He turned to her and looked into her eyes, "And if I choose to stay?"

"Then stay."

"For whatever you need."

**Equal**

Many in the Moors and in the Perceforest Kingdom believed Diaval to be nothing but Maleficent's servant. A common raven that was gifted the forms of many other beasts at the whim of his mistress. Truthfully, he had started out as such, but now his voice carried weight with both his mistress and the young queen that now sat on both thrones. He brought an unobstructed perspective and insight untouched by human greed or fey fear. He was the one who calmed their fears and heard their views before any council. In more than one way he was always equal.

**Family**

It was hard for him to name. His raven side wanted to call them an unkindness, a familiar group in want of survival. His human side didn't feel that was right. They were more than a group in search of the same things. Maleficent, Aurora and he were something greater.

"Mistress, what are we?" Diaval asked as the three of them took a rest at the one of the Moors many lakes.

"What a silly question," Aurora giggled before Maleficent answered and looked at the both of them, "We're a family."

He knew then nothing described them better.

**Gift**

"What's this?" Maleficent asked from her nest, a pendant in her hand.

"I found that," Diaval answered, "Thought it was particularly shiny."

"It is," she turned the polished gem in her hand, "Where did you find it?"

"Perceforest after checking on Aurora," he smirked as he saw her eyes shine at the dark green color.

"Why would you give me a gift?"

Diaval thought it obvious, "You need to learn more about ravens."

Her head tilted in question.

He answered with a kiss to her cheek before she turned him back into his feathered self.

**Humor **

Diaval had many skills and talents, even when he was in his raven form. He was an excellent flier, his smaller wings kept up with her in the air easily- even with his added flips and twirls around her. Outside of her god-daughter, he was the only one able to comfort her with a rub of his feathered head against one of her cheeks. But the true blessing that Maleficent thanked the gods for each day was the humor that he brought to her life. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't know what it felt like to smile again.

**Imagine**

There were nights where he would sit and wonder about things. He did so mostly as a man as humans often thought on more things than ravens. He thought on his fledgling and her blossoming relationship with the young Prince Phillip. He imagined her future and how they would possibly bond to one another one day. He imagined the little ones that would follow after- little blonde headed prince or princesses. He then imagined other little ones with black wings and silky chestnut hair. He shook his head as his eyes landed on his mistress. Imagining things could be dangerous.

**Jealous**

Human faces became familiar in the Moors as some made supervised trips for trade with the fair folk. One lord came to see over his servants and became acquainted with Maleficent. Diaval noticed the stories they shared with one another and it felt like he wasn't there. At the end of a visit, Diaval was particularly moody.

"Don't be jealous," Maleficent stated.

"Of what?"

"He has never given me anything shiny or shown off his flying abilities for me to accept," she gave his cheek a kiss as his eyes widened, "Unlike a handsome raven I know."

**Kneel**

Even when he considered himself a servant, he never had to kneel to Maleficent. Other fair folk did as she passed, but he was never required. He bowed to her when he gave his vow and she never asked for anything more. He paced at the base of the Rowen tree and fought with conflicting thoughts. At the sound of her wings, he turned to face her. She landed and raised her brows at his presence.

He instantly knelt before her, "I'm not a fey, I'm not even a man... but I love you. With every fiber of my being."

**Lover**

The thought of having a lover never came to Maleficent's mind after Stefan's betrayal. She promised herself that she would never trust another that deeply. Yet, here she was, wrapped in Diaval's arms, her head on his chest, ear pressed against him to hear his heart beating. Her wings surrounded them both and sheltered them in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Her fingertips floated over his scars as her hand traveled up to run through his hair and pull herself closer.

His lips touched the top of her head in a soft kiss and she whispered, "I love you, too."

**Mystery**

It baffled his mind. Maleficent chose him as her mate despite the many others that would have died for the honor. He asked her once as they laid together in their nest, "You need to help me with this mystery. Why me?"

She leaned over him, her chin came to rest on his chest to level her eyes with his, "Answer me this: Why not the one who never failed me? Why not the one who calmed my many fears? Why not the one who chose to love me despite my sins?"

Instantly, the mystery was solved with her kiss.

**Nest**

The day had been long with the disputes between the new Dark Fey and how they were settling into the Moors. All Maleficent wanted was to curl in her nest with Diaval and sleep into the late morning of the next day. She landed at their nest on the cliff side and her brows furrowed at the sight. Her mate draped over the side of the nest, his hand held one of the many trinkets that he had given her over the years. Their nest was covered in the little mementos. She never saw anything more beautiful.

"Silly raven."

**Offspring**

Maleficent couldn't believe how small Aurora's daughter was. She held the bundle gently and hesitantly as she didn't want to harm the tiny babe. Diaval came to her side and looked down at the babe in patience for his turn. Maleficent shifted the baby and handed her to Diaval as she went to tend to Aurora. He eagerly tucked the babe into his arm. Maleficent and Aurora both watched as he rocked the child with practiced ease. Then Maleficent couldn't help but wonder what he would look like holding a child with darker colored hair and two tiny black wings.

**Partner**

Diaval and Maleficent flew through the Moors in search of some special blooms to bring with them to Princess Rose's christening. They landed in a glen and a forest Dark Fey came from the side with flowers already in hand.

"Those are perfect!" Diaval shifted human and took the flowers.

"She didn't need her _servant_ to take flowers."

"Partner," Diaval corrected.

"_Mate_, love," Maleficent further corrected, "Those flowers are perfect."

She then flew off and Diaval flashed a smirk to the stunned fey before he was back a raven and in the air after his partner.

**Quest**

Diaval never assumed to call himself a hero or much of an adventurer. He loved his peace and quiet in the side of the cliff, wrapped around his mate in their glorious decorated nest. But he loved his mate even more. So when she began to ask for her favorite berries in the early morning hours before the sun crested the hills, he didn't question it. He shifted, found the berries and came back home. There would be another quest waiting for him and he accepted it as an honored duty. If she wanted mulberries, who was he to argue?

**Real**

As a young raven, he never would have thought that this would be his reality. He didn't shift into his feathers too often as before, but she was worth every moment that he was without his wings.

"What if I told you that things were changing?" she asked. He looked down at her and waited for her to continue. She took one of his hands and laid it over her stomach. His mind raced over what she really meant and what she was telling him.

"Is- is this real?" he smiled.

"Very," she smiled back, "Very real."

**Stake**

Months flew by in quick succession as Maleficent's stomach grew with the life in her. They moved down from the cliff to reside in the Rowen tree nest until she gave birth. There was too much at stake for her to test fate. Aurora stopped by with Rose to hear news of her sibling. The still young queen laid her hands on her mother's growing stomach and smiled at the kicks from the life inside. Diaval would lay down his life for his family. Any who dared to try to cause harm would be putting their own lives at stake.

**Twilight**

It was after the sun set that Maleficent noticed something was different. With a grip at Diaval's arm and a look of subtle fear in her eyes, he knew it too. With a yell down from the Rowen tree a Dark Fey midwife flew to the tree and helped to bring Maleficent down for the birthing. Diaval didn't leave her side, despite the threats of slow death by magic from his mate during the hard portions of labor. Then in the twilight of the evening their daughter was born, her cry echoed over the Moors.

"Hello, Selene. Welcome home."

**Understand**

Maleficent cradled her daughter in her arms as she walked around one of the lakes of the Moors. She watched as Diaval worked with some of the mushroom fairies with their harvests on the other bank. He had taken on more responsibilities after Selene was born. He wanted Maleficent to rest and able to bond with their daughter without the stress of Moor business. He would bond with Selene in the evening and every time he had a free moment. The time he gave her by sacrificing his own showed her that he understood her better than anyone ever would.

**Veil**

"I don't understand why we need the veil," Maleficent said as she looked at the cradle where her daughter laid in the plush blankets. The babe blinked up with wide, hazel eyes as her tiny black wings fluttered at her back against the blankets.

"It is extra protection should the sun cut through the windows," Aurora explained and balanced Rose on her hip, "Anything to protect my sweet, little sister."

"She will be beyond spoiled between you and your father."

Diaval walked into the room to look at the cradle and tilted his head, "Why the veil?"

**Wind**

The early morning found Maleficent in the clouds, the wind cutting through her hair as the recently risen sun warmed her skin. Her feathers stretched to ride the wind current and she heard the small gurgles under her chin. She pulled the wrap down from her daughter's face so she too could feel the wind on her face. Still much too young, her wings too underdeveloped to even try flying under her own power, this would have to do. Diaval shot through the clouds under them and cawed as he circled the two of them as they rode the wind.

**Unorthodox**

The whole situation was irregular. The last descendant of the mighty phoenix was mated to a raven and had offspring who was now trying to teeth on every fair folk who came too close to see her. Diaval had to wrestle a few mushroom and hedgehog fairies from the grip of the baby even if she couldn't even sit up on her own yet.

"I bet she gets this from you," he chuckled at Maleficent and plucked a hat from his daughter's grip, "Sorry, miss."

"She got her wings from you, that's all I could have asked for."

**Youth**

Diaval picked up Selene from her spot between him and Maleficent at her first cry. He hushed her and pulled her to his chest as he looked over his shoulder to see that Maleficent was asleep.

He got to his feet and wrapped her tight in a blanket. He rocked her as they paced the side of the nest. Slowly the crying subsided and he moved them back to the nest.

"You don't need to take her every time."

"You get her in the day, it's my time with her," he yawned, "Energy is wasted on the young."

**Zero**

Maleficent sat with Aurora at the same lake that they had frequented when she was still just a child. Rose ran as fast as her legs could carry her with Selene toddling after her, black wings flapping haplessly behind her. Both Diaval and Phillip ran after their children through the shallow waters. Aurora laughed lightly and looked at her mother as Maleficent watched content.

"So, tell me. Do you have any regrets?" Aurora asked and looked back at the children and their fathers, "Now knowing this is how it all worked out?"

Maleficent smiled at Diaval and Selene, "Zero."


	2. Fear

**Chapter**: Fear

**A/N**: This one takes place just after the wedding in Ulstead when everything began to calm down and people began to reflect on what was lost. So, yes, there are spoilers for the sequel on this one. The prompt for this one was a combination of different dialogue options. I went with what I thought would provoke some feels. It gets fluffy, you have been warned.

Relief.

That's all he felt when he saw her with Aurora, both standing tall and so alive. His little fledgling and his mistress were happily hugging just feet from him. Aurora was safe in her mother's wings and her mother was alive and very much herself. He stopped to their side and couldn't think of what to say to either one of them.

Maleficent was the first to say anything, "I missed you."

Relief fell from him as confusion took its place, "Did you bump your head, then?"

Her eyes lifted up slightly as if in thought and she nodded tightly, "I did."

For once in a very long time, he had no come back for her and only breathed out a whisper of what could have been a laugh. His face softened and he shook his head at his luck. They were going to be just fine.

That was hours upon hours ago.

Diaval now sat on the railing outside of Maleficent's chamber in one of the Ulstead castle towers just reviewing the day through his mind. Since the end of the wedding he hadn't been more than ten feet from her at all times. He didn't want to lose sight of her as he had an overwhelming and irrational fear that if he couldn't see her, she would disappear once again. And that this time she wouldn't come back. He didn't have to worry as she never left him behind. She stayed close by Aurora and Phillip for the most part.

When he did take a few steps away to gather drink or food for them he would turn back to find her eyes searching for him in the small crowd around her. He would retake his place at her side and offer her some of the food he had just gathered which she would take easily. If he was in his raven form he would have rubbed his head against her cheek to remind her that he was never going far from her again. As it stood, he was in his human form and could only offer her the snacks from his plate or a warm look to ease her worries.

A few of the Dark Fey would come and talk with her, meet the almighty phoenix who defeated death and were introduced to her very human-like raven. She would grin politely, but he felt her tense at their many questions. She hated the extra attention. On top of that, it was her daughter's wedding day, not any special day of Maleficent's. Something akin to her protectiveness toward Aurora would bubble near the surface as some of the Fey, still not aware of human customs would go so far as to completely ignore the bride. Maleficent's temper could be seen through her eyes as a light sheen of green would overcome her irises. Diaval would be quick to put a supporting hand at her back and she would relax instantly, her feathers brushing against the back of his hand as they resettled. Always her savior from herself.

Now, here he sat on the balcony as his mistress made ready for bed inside. Down below, he saw the many campfires of the Dark Fey as they camped for the night. Many would begin their journey to settle in the Moors come the morning. Then there was also the grieving to be had. Both sides lost entirely too much in Ingrith's war. He, himself almost lost his whole world. For a few heart shattering moments he actually did.

"Just what are you thinking on so intently?" Maleficent asked from the doorway into the room, "I have barely heard anything from you all evening."

"Day's events mostly," Diaval answered and turned to her. She had unwrapped her hair and it laid over her shoulders on either side of her slender neck. Her black dress was changed out for a heavy night shift that was probably borrowed from Aurora or one of the many ladies in waiting. He noticed that it was one that had tied in the back, thankfully perfect for her wings. He also noticed that it was much too plain for her to wear. She deserved something more, but she still made anything look beautiful. Her bare feet lightly tapped on the stone work underfoot as she took a few steps toward him.

"You're staring," she frowned slightly and pulled at some of her hair over one shoulder.

"Apologies, Mistress," he bowed his head to her and then jumped down from the railing to stand at her side.

"Just what about the day were you thinking on?" she asked for conversation sake. She needed distraction that Diaval often provided, "The yummy cakes and food that you pilfered during that hasty reception?"

"Pilfered?! You say that as if those tasty morsels weren't meant for me," he smirked after he noticed the light tilt of the corner of her lips and shook his head, "No, I was actually thinking on you."

"On me?" her brow lifted in curiosity, "How so?"

"In the fact that you disappeared days ago, and that you reappeared just as suddenly and weren't really you," Diaval took a deep breath and turned to look out over the hamlet of Ulstead and toward the hills of the Moors, "Then you died."

Maleficent looked down at her hands that were folded on the railing that he had been seated on, "I came back."

"That you did," he nodded and turned to lean back on the railing to face her. He looked her over and saw the same Fey that had saved his life more than two decades prior. Her eyes downcast, a little lost and a bit sorrowful. He shook his head just a bit, "... but you didn't know that you would."

"You would have rather that I let her kill Aurora?" she asked with a growl and turned her head from him.

"Of course not," he bit out and rubbed at his eyes in frustration and exhaustion, "I would have undoubtedly done the same."

"Then why does it upset you?" she turned back to him, looking a little more worn than she had ever before.

"Why?" he asked with a little laugh in his voice and looked away toward the sky, "I don't know. Could it be that when you fell from the sky and disappeared, I fell too? Shifting in the air between man and raven, unable to know where you were or if you were injured. Wondering where you were for days and hoping that maybe you _had_ just left and weren't-"

He stopped himself and then began to pace the small balcony. He licked at his lips before he continued, "Then you came back and all I wanted to do... was something I couldn't do as a bear. And then the moment that you were gone- that you died... I turned back into a raven. I turned back into my beautiful self and tried -_desperately_ tried to fly to that tower. Because I knew that something happened to you. Something was gone from inside me and I didn't feel like me anymore. Something was missing and my whole world stopped."

His legs ceased pacing as he paused in his tirade and looked at his hands as if they were still his wings. Wings that were only able to fly him measly feet from where he had fallen down as a bear. Wings that weren't as impressive as he once thought. Wings that were no longer hers because she was gone.

Maleficent didn't move from her spot at the railing as she knew that this was something he needed. He kept this inside all night to make sure that Aurora would remember the good of her wedding day. She knew this because she had done the same.

"Diaval-"

"I am not done," he put up a finger toward her and finally turned to her, "For those agonizing moments that you were gone. I was afraid. I realized that you were dead because it didn't feel like it was when you were missing. It didn't feel like it did when you disappeared. It felt like everything changed for the worse. It felt like nothing... numb and empty. Where you had given me so much more soul and being was just gone."

His breathing was ragged as he stood in front of her, his eyes glossy, but no tears fell. He rolled his shoulders and shook his head as he took his turn to look at his hands, "And then you were back. This exquisite, majestic phoenix that silhouetted the sky. Everything that I lost in those moments before rushed back- then I promptly fell to the ground back in a man's form. My face flush against the lawn."

She couldn't help the small snicker that came unbidden.

He looked back at her with a sad smirk on his face, "It took me a moment or two to realize I needed to get back up to run."

"Away from me?" she finally spoke, a slight crack to her voice.

"Towards you," he corrected with a confounded look.

"Didn't you say that you were afraid?"

"When you weren't there, yes. As a phoenix, you took my breath away. You were the most amazing bird I had ever seen. Your voice shook the very foundation of all of Ulstead. Your wings caught and saved Aurora. And your feathers, though they were black as night, radiated in beauty. I was in awe of you."

"Awe can go both ways," she turned away again and faced the open air of the night.

He heaved a breath and stood directly beside her, his shoulder touched hers, "There is only one thing in the world that I'm afraid of."

"Me?" she asked half joking and half seriously.

"_Losing_ you," he said confidently and risked to grab her hand in his. His fingers curled around hers and he brought her hand to his chest. Her breath hitched slightly and she spun her head to look at him. He looked back into her eyes with hope, "I felt what it was like to lose you completely. I now know for a fact that I can surmount anything that this world throws at me, as long as you are still in it. Please don't leave it again without taking me with you."

His hand squeezed hers and she felt what had to be tears gathering. She took a shallow breath, "Do you know what my biggest fear is?"

"Losing Aurora?"

"Besides the Beastie?" she nodded as she acquiesced to the exception as it was probably one of his as well. He shook his head as he didn't have another guess. She put her free hand on her heart and looked him directly in his eyes, "This. This, that's happening right now."

His brows furrowed.

Her hand left her chest and cupped the side of his face, "I am so afraid of everything that has to do with love, that I refused to see it in your eyes. Until now."

"So, you're afraid of me?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in the attempt to understand.

"I could never be afraid of you," she shook her head, "I am afraid of what I may do to your heart and to my own. I am so afraid that love will always lead to disaster. My love will always lead to a horrible end. That's why I am afraid. Because I will hurt anyone that dares to love me and I am not worth it."

Diaval dropped the hand he had held against him. Both his hands came up and held her face gently so that her eyes didn't leave his. She looked so defeated that she didn't even try to fight against him. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers and took a deep breath in through his nose to take in her scent. He felt her hands grip at his wrists. She didn't try to pull away, she didn't try to escape him. She pulled herself closer to him and his warmth.

"You are worth it all," he said slowly and didn't release her gaze, "You are worth the million and one shifts from bird to human – to horse – to bear – even to dog. You are worth every moment that I am without my feathers. You are worth everything. You are worthy of love."

"Even of yours?" she asked quietly.

"You're the only one worthy of mine," he answered with a smile, "I love you and I refuse to let this end horribly. It won't, because it won't end."

She searched his eyes quickly and then leaned forward to catch his lips with hers. Her hands tightened at his wrists so he wouldn't run from her, but she didn't need to as his hands tenderly ran in through her hair and pulled her closer. The kiss broke a moment later and he nudged the side of her face with his nose much like he would do with his head as a raven.

"What do you fear now?" he whispered.

"Losing you."

"Then you have nothing to fear."


	3. Hogwarts

**Chapter**: Hogwarts

**A/N**: Couldn't help myself on this one. It popped into my head and then it grew and wouldn't let go. Then I began to write what I had already outlined in my head. Instead, it came out so different that I couldn't stop from going with it. So here is my take on a Maleval Hogwarts AU.

A young man of fifteen sat on a window ledge and looked in at the same crest on the same archway that hung over the hall that led to his common room year after year. He turned from the hall and looked out at the courtyard below. Down below, he saw the new first years as their eyes widened and marveled at the old castle of Hogwarts. They reminded him so much of himself as a little hatch-ling stretching wings into the world for the first time.

A hum rumbled in his throat and he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. It was going to be a year of years. Fifth year is when it starts to get serious. This year it will all be about the O.W.L.s. He will have to start thinking on his future as it's the N.E.W.T.s not long after that.

As he thought on possible careers, he glanced back down at the courtyard and saw a figure that he had never seen before. She was around his age, maybe a little older, the hood of her strangely colored robes pulled up over her head and her eyes nervously bounced from face to face around her. She hugged a larger bag to her chest as she followed the little ones into the Great Hall. Diaval jumped down from the window ledge and followed the figure as well as he could being a few floors above her. She was a definite curiosity, a new mystery or puzzle. How he _loved_ puzzles.

At the front of the Great Hall she was met with McGonagall. The older woman put a hand on her back and led her to the side where she waited with the first years. Diaval watched closely and leaned on the railing as he watched her nervously pick at her robes. She suddenly stopped and looked up, directly at him.

Her eye color was surprising, but all the more beautiful. They were hazel one moment and then green the next. He wondered if she had used a spell to make them do that, or if it was her own glorious coloring. She narrowed her eyes up at him as she caught him staring and gave a sneer. Apparently she didn't like the attention. He only smirked warmly and gave a slight wave down.

"Diaval, let's go," he heard Robin call from behind him, "I want to get in there and see what kind of trouble we can make for the first years."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Diaval nodded without taking his eyes off the girl.

She turned her face from him with what looked like a pout.

He pushed back from the railing and followed his friend in.

Robin sat in his usual seat and smiled mischievously at the seats that were reserved for possible new students joining their house. He was always one for making some prank or clever trick on fellow students both inside and outside of their house. His favorite targets were the first years, of which have not been warned of his trickery yet. His intelligence was the only thing that kept him from permanently being put in detention as he was very rarely caught for his masterpieces.

Diaval sat next to his friend as other Ravenclaws began to fill in the table around them. He was lucky to be put in Ravenclaw, he knew. The sorting hat almost put him among the badgers of Hufflepuff, but he really needed the crest of the raven. He had to have the same of his late mother. She would have been proud. The sorting hat heard him and knew him to be of clever wit and mind, so into robes of blue and bronze he went. "The most loyal of all Ravenclaws" the hat had whispered to him when they had pulled the hat off his head.

"Okay, here they come," Robin nearly bounced in his seat at the first years marched down the aisle and lined up for their sorting ceremony.

"What do you have planned for the poor little ones this year?" Diaval asked in a hushed whisper.

"Oh, a little this and that," he chuckled. He suddenly gasped and pushed at Diaval's shoulder, "Who is that?"

Diaval's head whipped around and he caught sight of her again, "I don't know, but she is definitely a little old to be a first year."

"Don't you two know anything?" Balthazar asked in his low timber, "She's an exchange student from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. They say she was kicked out, but Dumbledore let her come here to study instead."

"I heard she killed her parents," a blonde piped up from the Hufflepuff table at their side, "Just looked them in the eyes and they keeled over."

"Oh, come off it, Twistlewit!" her red headed friend hushed her as she pulled at her hair.

"It's true, Knotgrass, I heard it from a seventh year!" the blond used her friend's nickname, "But I never saw someone from Beauxbatons with a hood. They usually have those stylish hats."

The dark haired girl between the two of them kept her comments to herself and played with the small blue butterfly in her hand.

Diaval looked closely at the subject of hushed whispering. There was no way she was a murderer, a monster that would kill her own kin. He was smart enough to see that. If anything, she looked a little lost.

"One thing is for sure, they don't lie about the girls of Beauxbatons," Robin leaned on Diaval's shoulder, "She is a gorgeous one, she is."

"Hm," Diaval pulled his shoulder back to toss off his friend, "And I just bet she loves people talking on her like that. Come on, leave her alone. Let her at least acclimate, will you?"

He turned from his friend to look at her one last time to see her staring directly at him with a bewildered look.

_'Did she hear me?'_ he wondered and tilted his head in curiosity.

The sorting ceremony began quickly after that. One by one the first years filed into the different tables of their new houses. The first couple of first years to come to the Ravenclaw table were cautious as they saw Robin trying to contain his laughter. They sat anyway and were rewarded with a face of pumpkin juice or a fall to the floor. Diaval only rolled his eyes as his friend laughed at the poor things.

"And as you all have noticed, we have a new student that is not a first year joining us," the Headmaster announced and waved the startled girl forward, "Come forward, my dear."

The girl did so and sat on the stool as the children had done. Someone reached for her hood and she flinched away.

"It's the way, have no fear," the headmaster smiled encouragingly.

She took a breath and pulled the hood back as two large horns were revealed. The whole hall gasped in surprise and shock. There was mutters and whispers that were almost deafening to the young lady still in the chair. She took a deep breath, pulled her chin up and looked straight ahead. She nodded as the sorting hat settled on her head and awkwardly over her horns.

"You are a very interesting one, are you not?" the sorting hat asked as he sat on her head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "No words? You have been quite dedicated and loyal in your time with your old home. Also quiet, contemplative... a sharp mind, sharper wit. Courage and strength is seen in you as well, but not quite a mighty lion. Ambition, resourceful, can be a very good slytherin..."

"We want no monster in our house!" a voice shouted from the Slytherin table.

"And I would want no part of a house that learns such idiocy!" she shot back in a strong voice.

"She's tough," Robin whistled low.

"That she is," Diaval nodded and didn't take his eyes off of her, "Please... please say it..."

"Intelligence you need, thus you shall have," the sorting hat bounced on her head, "Ravenclaw!"

The hat was pulled from her head and she pulled her hood back over her head and her horns. She stood and walked to the table of stunned Ravenclaws. No one moved or gave her indication on where to sit. Either too scared or too stunned at the new arrival.

Diaval huffed at the others at the table, "You all have no tongues anymore?"

He got out of his seat and walked to her. Her feet shuffled where she stood at the end of the table as he approached.

"I'm Diaval," he introduced himself and held out his hand to her, "Welcome to Ravenclaw."

"Maleficent," she said quietly, but only looked at his hand.

"You can sit with us, if you'd like," Diaval smiled and pointed to Robin and Balthazar.

"I don't need pity," she almost growled.

"And I don't need you assuming that's what I'm offering," he shot back quickly which made the girl's eyebrows raise in attention, "You don't have to take my hand, but you will need a seat. Otherwise more people are going to stare and I have a feeling you don't like that."

Maleficent looked around the hall and noticed the eyes on her. She nodded quickly to him and he led her back to where he sat. He pushed Robin further down the table and let her sit first before he took a seat beside her. He flashed her a quick smile as the students around them began to calm down.

"See? Not so bad is it?" he asked with a permanent smirk.

"It could be worse," she relented, but didn't look up at him until he looked back to the headmaster for more announcements.

"If you do so well with new comers, Diaval, why don't you show her around as I take care of the first years?" the Ravencalw Headboy asked as they exited the Great Hall.

"I think she may be tiring of me," Diaval looked over at her for her answer.

She looked back at him, her face a little less guarded as she realized he was giving her a choice. She took a deep breath, "I think I can stand your proximity a bit longer until I find my footing."

"Ah, good then, it's settled," the headboy patted Diaval on the back and led the first years off toward the different halls.

"Have a good time, Diaval," Robin waved at him as he and the other Ravenclaws headed out to the courtyard for a bit.

"Traitor," Diaval muttered playfully and waved back. He turned to her and adjusted his robes to fill in the silence between them, "So, what do you want to see first? Hogwarts is quite large."

"The library," she said suddenly and looked to either side of her as she didn't mean to say it so fast, "Please."

"Library it is," he nodded his head and turned to a long hall, "A true Ravenclaw, through and through."

She followed behind and gripped at her hood as other students caught sight of her. Diaval noticed her uncomfortable movements and looked up as they walked, "What year are you?"

"I was to start my fifth year," she said with a release of breath. She probably didn't know she was holding it.

"We're the same year!" Diaval turned and began to walk backwards as he talked to her, his hands calmly in his pockets, "Hope you know you're stuff. We have our testing this year. I hear it can be a bit brutal."

"You test in fifth year, how quaint," she pursed her lips in thought and looked at him as he surveyed her instead of watching the walking path, "Go and ask."

"Ask what?"

"About my horns..."

"Oh!" he stopped and tilted his head with a laugh, "I just assumed you hexed yourself something awful and made a mess of the potions room at your fancy academy. Thought that's what they kicked you out for."

She frowned and stared at him for a moment before a small smile lit her features.

"Is- is that a smile?" he pointed to her face.

"Well, not anymore!" she frowned and walked past him as she saw the large doors and books beyond them ahead.

"So the game begins," Diaval chuckled to himself and followed behind her, "I do love a challenge."

* * *

As the new year began, so did Diaval's constant companionship with Maleficent. It was easy enough to find a seat next to her as others seemed to stay away. Her new robes had the hood drawn over her horns for the first week, until Diaval convinced her to wear it down.

"They suit you," he said to her once in the library as she collected books for a paper. She stared at him as if he was crazy and he shrugged, "Even if you got them by trying to enchant an ogre."

With a narrowing of her eyes she shook her head, "That isn't what happened."

"No use trying to fool me," he shook his head and looked at her as if she was caught in a love triangle with said ogre, "Your poor heart must have broken a million times over from his refusal and hex. Such a life you lead."

"Ridiculous boy," she huffed and reached for another book.

He caught her smile as she turned.

The next day, she didn't wear the hood over her horns. They sat bare on her head, the only cover, her hair that was tied around them.

Robin and Balthazar had warmed up to her not long after the first couple of weeks and even took her under their wings. Balthazar would show her the ins and outs of the classwork as he was a year over them and could show her how to properly prepare for her O.W.L.s. Robin had thought it awful frustrating as she caught all of his tricks before he could spring them on her. She was too smart for her own good. Months passed by as she grew fond of the trickster and the stoic young man. She enjoyed their company, but spent the majority of time with Diaval.

They sat outside one of the towers nearby the common room and looked out at the spread of the Forbidden Forest. Maleficent smiled and took a deep breath as she soaked in the peace between classes. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her chin relaxed over them. Diaval reclined back next to her, his arms bent back, but supported his weight.

"So, I do have a question," he said suddenly, but didn't turn to her.

She turned her head to look at him to let him know she heard him, "Here it comes."

"I know that Beauxbatons is in France, but I have noticed that you have no French accent. You sound like your from our neck of the woods," he then turned to her, "Another piece of you I couldn't quite fit into my profile."

"Your profile?" she lifted a brow, "I don't know how I intrigue you so much."

"Have from the moment I saw you," he nodded and pushed himself to sit up, "So?"

"I'm from an area not far from here actually. Beauxbatons made an exception when they took me for my study," she explained, "My mother had gone there as a child. Both of my parents wanted me far from home. They thought I would do well there."

"And what made them change their mind?"

"They died," she whispered.

"Oh!" he cried out suddenly and made her jump, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine," she nodded, "They died when I was very young. I was the one to make the choice to leave and come back. I was lucky that Dumbledore allowed me to come here. I am glad he did."

"Me too," Diaval nodded and put his arms on his knees as he paused, "So it wasn't an old hag in the lake that started to turn you into a sea witch that made the beauties of Beauxbatons kick you out?"

"Are you saying that I am hideous?" she pushed at his shoulder with a screech.

"Not at all," he shrugged with a laugh as he knew he got under her skin, "You are lovely and gorgeous, and you know it."

"Do I?" she asked quietly.

"I would have thought you clever enough to know something so easy to see," he offered.

"Flattery will still not get you my notes from Potions," she told him and turned away, her sharp cheeks bloomed with a blush.

"You know how I struggle with them!" he whined.

Silence began to grow loud between them and he looked a little uncomfortable as he began conversation again, "My parents are gone too."

"I'm sorry," she offered and put a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, "Dark wizards tried to recruit them. They said no. It cost them their lives. Been picked up and dropped by random families since. The only solid faces I have in my life are Robin and Balthazar."

"You really have my full sympathies now," Maleficent teased him at the mention of Robin's name.

"As I rightly should," he nodded sagely.

"You know, that is the third guess you have made about my horns."

"Haven't told me which one is true either," he picked at the stone work under him and tossed a small sliver of stone off the tower, "My money is still on the love struck ogre."

"None of them are true," she said smartly and took a breath as one of her hands reached up to touch one of her horns. Something pulled behind her eyes and the a green spark lit her eyes. She took a breath as she turned back to him, "I was little more than reckless. I was punished for it. But I think I wanted to be. I wanted to be gone from that place. It was beautiful, but it felt like a prison. I wanted to come back home."

"The horns are a punishment?" Diaval frowned and his brows furrowed.

"I ran through a line of some very important witches and wizards. The witch that held the entourage of such importance told me that I should apologize. When I didn't, she thought that a curse should help my attitude. I am two years into my fifty year sentence."

"For running into her?"

"Not everyone is as level headed as you and I," she mentioned and bit her bottom lip, "So?"

Diaval's brow was still furrowed, but he sighed, "You know, it was not as magnificent a story as I would hope for. You should embellish it more. Maybe add the sea hag angle."

A few pregnant moments passed between the two of them and she chuckled, which led to a full belly laugh. She held onto her sides as she laughed loudly. His face broke into a large grin as pride invaded his chest. He made her laugh. Not chuckle, not a simple smile, but a laugh. A true and real laugh. And when she turned to him to put a hand on his shoulder for support, he saw it. She had never looked more beautiful. Nothing had ever looked as beautiful as she did in that moment.

_'I think I love this girl.'_

Her laughter began to slow down and she took gulps of air to catch her breath. She leaned back from him for a moment and coughed, "What would I do without you, Diaval?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," he shrugged and coughed into his hand. He looked at her as she swept her hair from her face and from tangling around her horns. She missed a few strands and he fixed them for her.

"What? Are you fixing hair now?"

"We're Ravenclaws, so don't be silly," he scoffed and finished what he had started with the strands, "I'm preening you."

"Oh, is that it?" she asked with an amused smile. She reached up and fixed some of his hair that fell forward over his eyes. She nodded in approval, "There, I returned the favor."

"No, you have done much more," he shook his head and shot her a smile, "A debt that cannot be repaid. You saved my life."

"By fixing your hair?" she asked with an unbelieving look.

"Could you imagine the torment and sorrow should I be seen with such un-preened hair? I would have died, surely!" he urged her and grabbed her hand closest to him. He bowed his head over her hand, "I give my life vow. Whatever you need. I will do so."

"Diaval, you are not my servant," she smiled fondly at him.

"As you say," he pulled at her hand again and kissed the back of it, "Mistress."

"You are ridiculous," she reminded him with a voice that seemed a bit wistful. She did not expect the kiss.

"That's me," he nodded, "But I'm your kind of ridiculous."

"Strange enough, you are," she agreed. She leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly as the bells began to ring for the hour. She leaned back as he dropped her hand surprised at the kiss to his cheek. She only gave him a lift of one of her brows, "You coming to Charms?"

"Of- of course," he nodded.

"Good, be sure to bring my bag, will you?" she asked with a smirk and flick of her finger toward the bag in question.

"Yes, Mistress," he teased back and followed her toward their next class.


	4. Can I Pick?

**Chapter**: Can I Pick?

It felt like years had passed in the following months after the wedding of Queen Aurora of the Moors and Prince Phillip of Ulstead. Communication and trade between the humans and the Fair Folk had never run as smoothly as it did now that peace reigned. Both Fey creatures and humans were able to say they were of one kingdom and able to live day to day with no fear of one another.

That's not to say that there were no challenges when it came to the change. Many of the Dark Fey still held a grudge toward the humans for driving them into exile, and many humans held a distaste to those who had attacked them on what was to be a joyful day of celebration. There were old ways of thinking that hindered the healing and grieving process for both sides. Borra being the most vocal of his distaste of human actions in the past had ruffled more than one human's feathers. While once-prominent councilmen told old tales of their grandfathers and their wars with the beasts of the Moors.

Aurora and Phillip were quick to quiet the negative talk and most of the time succeeded. Especially when Maleficent stepped into the discussions.

Three months into the new blended kingdom and a large fire bloomed at the border between the Moors and the farms at the edge of the Ulstead Hamlet. The flames were put out in short order with the combined efforts of both the water nymphs of the Moors, three of the Dark Fey that lived near the border and the two farmers and their sons who tended the crops. The combined forces helped one another stop the threat to their homes and the fire never reached what couldn't be replaced.

Maleficent and Diaval landed at the sight just before a large cart of three men made it from Ulstead. Maleficent nodded to the Fair Folk and Dark Fey who bowed their heads toward her and Diaval as they have all now learned of her raven. She then turned her attention to the farmers.

"Are you all uninjured?" she asked calmly as she looked from each of them, "It looked like the fire grew rapidly."

"We were lucky that the nymphs and fey were nearby," one of the farmers smiled gratefully at the Fair Folk and then nervously worried his hat in his hands as he stood before Maleficent. She saw the movement but didn't fault the man any. Many of the Dark Fey have their own nervous tells when they talk with her as well. Most beings do with the exception of Aurora and Diaval. The farmer cleared his throat, "It didn't get to too many of the crops, if at all."

"Good to hear," Diaval nodded and noticed the wagon of men that just pulled up at the roadside. He turned to the nymphs and Dark Fey, "Thank you for your help, but it looks like it's in hand. Go on home."

The Dark Fey nodded and flew into the air while the water nymphs blended back into the vegetation of the Moors and into the small streams just inside the magic boundary. The farmers waved at them as they flew off or disappeared.

One farmer turned to the men from the wagons, "You are a little late, sirs. The fire was taken care of."

The first man on the ground, an older soldier from the look of him, walked past the farmer without a single glance, "We're not here for the fire."

Two other young men came out from the back of the wagon and followed their friend toward where Maleficent and Diaval stood. Maleficent's feathers began to ruffle at the men's approach and her eyes noticed the iron swords at their hips. She turned to the farmer closest to her, "I think you and yours should get to safety. I don't think this will be a pleasant meeting."

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded and pushed at his son toward their home. The other farmer did the same even as he threw a worried glance in Maleficent's direction. She only gave him a subtle nod before her attention turned back to the men ahead of her and Diaval.

"Those are some very fancy iron swords you got there, friends," Diaval started the conversion and stood between them and Maleficent. He opened his hands on either side of him to show that he held no weapons of his own against them, "I would appreciate it if you kept them in their sheaths."

All three men promptly brandished their swords and held them level toward Maleficent.

"Or you can totally ignore me," Diaval huffed, put his hands on his hips and looked over his shoulder at Maleficent, "I don't think they are a listening bunch."

"Or they are in pain," Maleficent noticed the blank, pointed stares from the men. She took only a single step toward the men who all but stopped on her approach. She tilted her head at the action and narrowed her eyes, "Tell me. Who did you lose in the battle at the castle?"

"My brother," the older soldier said and nodded his head to either side to the young men on either side of him, "They both lost their fathers. Just three men out of the many that were slaughtered by you and your kind that day."

"Along with the countless of innocent Fair Folk trapped in a church and Moor Folk running for cover," Diaval reminded him and put his hands back up in a placating manner when the swords shifted toward him, "We all lost someone in that battle."

"Did we?" the man growled and looked at Maleficent, "Because she is still here and so is the Queen of the Moors."

"The Queen of the Moors is your queen now too," Maleficent reminded him.

"That girl is no queen of mine! And I will make sure you and she will both pay for my father!" one of the younger men shouted and lunged toward Maleficent to find himself quickly on the ground to the side of Diaval. Diaval held a foot on his hand to make sure that it couldn't grip the iron sword.

"That is what I believe is called treason to threaten your queen," Diaval hummed and leaned further on the man's hand to make him shout in pain before he stepped back and kicked the iron sword out of reach.

"We are here to finish what Queen Ingrith had begun," the older man announced and took another step forward.

"Not a good idea," Diaval warned him and watched his approach carefully.

"I will have that monster's head!" he yelled and stabbed his sword in the air toward Maleficent.

Diaval stepped in front of him, just an inch from the tip of the man's sword, "I'm trying my best to be polite, but if you move that sword any closer to her, I will tear you apart."

"What is an unarmed _bird_ going to do?" the man asked and pushed his sword ever so slightly forward to rest it against Diaval's chest.

"Diaval," Maleficent warned, her voice held a note of worry.

"Not to worry, Mistress," he smirked at the man and at his sword as it laid quietly on his chest. He took a quick look to her behind him with raised brows, "Can I pick? I'm thinking something bigger than a dog this time."

"No dragons," her hands glowed gold with an almost annoyed look at him, "They just put out a fire."

"No dragons," he nodded in agreement.

Her magic flowed to him and he suddenly wasn't a man anymore. Fur covered him from head to foot and he fell to his hands and knees as a giant beak grew from his face to take a form of a hardened muzzle of a giant black bear. He roared as his frame grew and filled out with muscle and claws. His black eyes opened as a gold color as he focused his gaze on the two boys that were now behind the soldier. He roared loudly over the man's head toward the other two.

The two younger men backpedaled and ran toward the wagon they came in. The older man only took a couple of steps back until he fell back into the grass behind him. His sword fell from his grasp as he tried to crawl away from the massive bear on all fours. Diaval stood on his hind legs and looked down at the man. His eyes narrowed and he fell forward, his huge arms beat the ground under them as he trapped the man in between his substantial arms. The man turned on his back as he stared at the creature above him. Diaval roared again down at him and then sneezed in his face.

"That's quite enough, Diaval," Maleficent called out to him. She slowly walked up to Diaval's side and placed her hand along his back to calm him. Diaval looked at her, his colossal head swung to the side to give her his attention, "I am sure the human now understands what you meant. No need to follow through. Isn't that right?"

Diaval's head turned back to study the human under him. The man only nodded viciously. Diaval growled at the man but then huffed out a breath before he crawled off of the man.

"Take my advice," Maleficent looked at the man still in the grass, "Mourn your lost ones, but let go of the hate. It changes you, but it will not change the outcome of brash decisions. Those of which you may not be able to bear the consequences of."

"My brother is gone," he whimpered and tried to sit up, his eyes focused on the bear at her side, "Nothing can change that. Who is to answer for it?"

"She's currently a goat at the moment," Maleficent commented nonchalantly, "Not sure what the next punishment shall be."

"Lady Maleficent," a voice carried over to them.

Maleficent looked down the road and saw Percival on horseback with a few soldiers behind him. Another two soldiers were down a little further next to what looked like a very familiar wagon.

"Guard Captain Percival," Maleficent greeted with a slight bow of her head, "I see that you found our arsonists."

"One of the farmers flagged us down as we came to see to the fire," he reported and saw the frightened man on the ground and the black bear behind Maleficent, "Everything alright?"

"I think it will be in time," Maleficent answered and glanced down at the man again.

He flinched away and looked at the guard captain, "Please take me out of here, sir."

"Get him into the wagon with the others," Percival ordered one of his men who did exactly that. Percival led his horse closer to her and the black bear as he spotted a couple of the swords nearby, "Iron?"

"Yes," Maleficent answered easily and didn't even look at the offending weapons.

"Are you injured?"

"They didn't have a chance to harm me," she placated him as Diaval rubbed his head against her arm. She smiled softly at him and ran a hand over his head, "Diaval had it in hand."

"I am sure he did," Percival nodded at the raven-bear.

Maleficent snapped her fingers and he turned into a man once again, "I always do."

"Those men lost those close to them in the battle," Maleficent explained, "They needed someone to play their villain."

"I just wish they wouldn't choose you all the time," Diaval muttered.

"You do sometimes give off the impression that you want to murder everyone you look at," Percival offered with a teasing smirk.

"Only when the mood hits me," Maleficent offered back with her own sneer.

"I will leave you two now. Be safe," Percival chuckled lightly and nudged his horse back to his men and their trip back to the castle with new prisoners in tow.

"Well, that was uneventful," Diaval blew some of his hair from his eyes.

"Uneventful? You had a sword at your chest," she frowned at him to let him know she was a little cross with him.

"You said it, I had it in hand," he reminded her, "You wouldn't let him hurt me, just like I wouldn't let him hurt you. Better me than you anyway. I could potentially live after being stabbed by iron."

"You could perish being stabbed by anything, Diaval," she muttered and stretched out her wings, "You are infuriating."

"Don't forget charming," he added and stepped right in front of her, his face in front of her own, "I'm here to serve you until I can no longer do so. That means I protect you in every way that I can. I protect what I hold the most dear to me."

She took a deep breath and looked up into his dark eyes as she reminded herself out loud, "I am cross with you."

"But.." he urged.

"But nothing!" she hissed and then rolled her eyes to look away from him, "Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge."

There was a long pause until she looked back at him. He tilted his head and furrowed his brows, "Can I pick?"


	5. Partner

**Chapter**: Partner

Mondays were considered the worst day of the week by most. The beginning of the workweek, the school week and the usual starting point of long work projects. For Maleficent DaFey, head attorney of the Moors Criminal Defense Center, it meant the continued interviews and search for her new personal assistant and paralegal.

For the past five years, she never needed one. Her small law firm was headed up by herself and then she brought in a partner a year after liftoff as she needed more help. Although he was not a partner in a legal sense, he was her equal in the fact that she ran everything by him before taking the next step in cases. Stefan Barnhand did have a cooler head out of the two of them and he did most of the face to face interactions with other firms and hiring. He didn't have the spine to stand in the middle of the courtroom and grill the witnesses like she did, but she didn't mind. He had told her that they were meant to be, that they had 'true love'. She was so in love that she was sure that the dinner that had occurred last month would have had ended in a proposal.

It did end in just that, but not for marriage.

Stefan told her that he was going to leave Moors for Perceforest Law Offices headed up by Henry King. He had been headhunted and he wanted the chance to be a partner in a large and well-known office one day. Henry was offering him all he wanted and the chance to date his young daughter if he gave him something worthwhile. Stefan took the biggest case that they were working on with him. It was one of the largest and well-known cases in the area and would have skyrocketed her small law office into the arena with the big dogs. Now, she would have to wait for another chance. He was an idiot in hindsight, she was sure. She started the law firm from nothing and she got far before his interference. She would soar once again.

"DaFey," the barista called from the counter and placed the hot cup at the edge.

Maleficent broke out of her thoughts, grabbed the cup and tipped the team before she walked out the door. Her dark roast blend, scalding hot with three pumps of hazelnut sweetener and a touch of blueberry juice was not the weirdest thing that the baristas at the Rowen Tree had made, but they surely knew to make it a certain way for the powerful woman who came in every morning- and occasional afternoons. The taste was worth the strange looks she received from the baristas. What wasn't worth it, was the wait she had to go through when a new trainee was behind the coffee maker.

There were three blocks to her office from the favored coffee spot. She told Robin to go ahead with the car, it was coming to Fall season and she wanted to enjoy the season's colors on her walk. For the rest of the day, she would be surrounded by the white walls of her office as she screened multiple new people for the position. If today was to be like anything like her interviews from the week before, it was going to be a very long, exhausting day with not much room for breaks to go outside. All applicants so far shivered in their chair in front of her and failed to impress. Yes, she wanted a healthy amount of fear, but she was to see this assistant every day. Could they at least stand the sight of her without shaking in their boots?

"There must be someone out there that is suitable," she huffed and sipped at her coffee.

She stopped at an intersection and waited for the cross signal. Taking small sips from her coffee, she thought over the preferred competencies she had initially chosen and those that she refused to relinquish on.

She looked up to check on the light to see a young man walked briskly along the side of the building opposite. Not much younger than she was, but definitely seemed a bit more naive if she judged him correctly.

He checked his watch and frowned down at his wrist. Right after his frown, he looked up just in time to hit face-first into the sign for Farmer Ave.

"Oh dear," Maleficent said nonchalantly and looked both ways before she crossed the street. Farmer Ave was known to have had inconsiderate and even dangerous drivers rush down the street. It wouldn't do to have him stay sprawled out half in the roadway. She stepped directly to him and stood over him, "Are you injured?"

He held his head from where it hit the pavement and squeezed his eyes before he opened them, "Yeah, I mean- no. I'm in one piece. That's all anyone could ask for, right?"

"I suppose so," Maleficent raised a brow.

"Thank you for checking. I-" he looked up at her and his voice seemed to fail him.

"You sure you are quite all right?" she asked and knelt down next to him. She sat her cup of coffee in the roadway at their side as she checked on him.

He definitely wasn't bad to look at. Lithe frame, a bit pale in complexion, but she had to admit she was as well. His dark hair swept back from dark eyes that were almost inhuman at how dark they were. He reminded her of a raven, dark and light at the same time. She noticed his hair was even soft like feathers as she checked his head and despite the large bump at the back of it and what would soon turn into an impressive bruise on his cheek, he seemed to be fine.

She leaned back on her heels to tell him of what injures she did see when a large truck came around the corner with no hint of slowing. She gripped at his jacket and pushed them both to the sidewalk as the truck barreled over were they just were. She groaned in annoyance and looked at where the truck turned and then looked back at the man she had saved, "Did you catch their plates? I swear I would slap him with every kind of case I could think of."

"Sorry, didn't quite get it," he said in a small voice before he coughed and rubbed at his head. He looked back at where they were and noticed that the coffee was hit and now flowed over the blacktop, "It looks like your coffee was the only casualty."

"Shame," she huffed, "I only had half of it and I will need more than that to make it through today."

"Thank you again," he stood up and held a hand down to her. He pulled her up as her hand landed in his, "I will be sure to get my head examined."

"As you should. Not many people run into street signs," she raised her brows to evaluate him. She pulled at her shoulder bag and nodded to him, "Be careful. There are quite of few of them along the walkway."

"I will try," he nodded, "Is there anything I can do for you? I mean, you possibly just saved my life."

"Possibly?" her mouth quirked up in a slight half smile, "Would you rather I had let him hit you?"

"No, I'm grateful for what had occurred," he shook his head, "Have a good day. I hope it doesn't end up as bad as you think it will."

"That is my hope as well," she nodded and then promptly turned to continue her walk. She looked over her shoulder halfway up the block and saw him still in the same place she left him. He waved at her once more and then dug out his phone to see something on the screen and then he turned back the way he had come. She shook her head to dismiss it and continued to her office.

Diaval turned from the corner as he scanned the ground for the front cover of his cell phone case. There, next to his savior's crushed cup was his equally crushed phone case cover.

"Well, make that two causalities," he huffed and picked at his cover. He picked up the cup that she had sacrificed for him and turned it over, "The Rowen Tree. Huh."

He stood up and looked down the block he was just on and saw a large sign not too far from him for the same coffee spot, "Well, if I am to face more shoddy interviews, might as well get some fuel."

* * *

Maleficent sat at her desk as the morning interviews wrapped up. The last one was the worst by far. A bubbly blonde who didn't even have enough brainpower to understand that Maleficent was degrading her through most of the interview. By the end of it, Maleficent was sure that the poor idiot thought she had bagged the position.

"I really should stop using sarcasm," she muttered to herself and took a deep breath. She looked at the clock at her sidewall and it was going on two in the afternoon. Of course, it was the afternoon slump, made that much worse when she didn't get to finish her morning coffee. She needed her caffeine. Maybe she would be able to finish out the last of those waiting at the front of the office and go home just a bit early. She steadied herself and walked to her office door. She peeked out and saw no one left.

"Where is everyone else?" she asked at the desk closest to her.

Balthazar looked up at her with a stern smile on his face, "The last one told them that they may as well leave because she was offered the position."

"Fat chance," Maleficent frowned, "Make sure that she never comes back into this office. I fear that her idiocy may spread."

"Consider it done."

"Excuse me, I am looking for DaFey?" a voice called from the front of the open office space.

Maleficent walked out from her office completely to the front where the man she had saved earlier in the day stood at the front of the office with a coffee cup in each hand.

He smiled as he caught her eyes, "Ah! Miss DaFey, I assume?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked and walked to him.

"To pay you back. It's not as much as it should be, but I should at least replace your coffee," he offered and pushed the cup in his left hand toward her.

She looked at the cup, gave the blend a sniff and then took a sip. Her eyes widened as it was perfect. She looked from the cup back to him, "How did you know?"

"You left your cup, remember? Seems like you are a regular at the Rowen Tree?" he asked as he took a sip of his own coffee, "They seem to remember you well."

"I won't ask in what light," she muttered and paused, "Thank you. The coffee is much appreciated. You're very clever to figure it out. Not many people know of my particularities."

"That's true," Robin said as he shuffled files behind her. It earned him a small glare which he refused to acknowledge.

"Well, that's me, clever," he shrugged his shoulders.

"What is it you do, Mister...?" she asked and hesitated as she didn't know his name.

"Call me Diaval," he offered with a tip of his head, "I am actually looking for a position at the moment. Have experience in paralegal work, but apparently not enough to impress."

"There are more things to impress with other than experience," she said and bit at the inside of her cheek in thought, "Follow me."

He stood a little shocked as she quickly turned on her heel and headed back toward her office. He looked at her and then at his own shoes.

"She isn't the type you keep waiting," Robin said from his desk.

Diaval nodded and walked briskly after the woman.

"Please take a seat," Maleficent offered as she rounded her small desk.

"You are hiring?"

"Conveniently, it would seem," she nodded and looked at him, "You hesitated when we first met. Cut yourself short when you first saw me."

"Oh that?" he chuckled and rubbed at the back of his head at the small lump that formed, "Yeah, was not really expecting to hit face-first into a street sign in front of a beautiful lady."

"Flattery does nothing for me."

"Obviously, but I'm a bit of a charmer. Follows my cleverness. Can't do anything for it," he let out a breath as if it were a burden and pulled at his bag to produce his paperwork. He handed her the resume and everything else that other law offices had asked of him.

"So... you aren't afraid of me?" she asked and glanced over his paperwork.

"Terrified if I ever were on the opposing team in the courtroom. You've torn through the toughest cases with ease. I had watched quite a few of them," he offered and waited until she looked back at him, "But personally and professionally?"

She only nodded.

"I can't very well fear someone who would come to help a perfect stranger from their own idiocy and a truck. You're more than many people take you for. I respect you, but I don't know if I can come to fear you."

"As I said, would you have rather that I had left you in the roadway?"

"Others may have. I know Stefan Barnhand would have."

She sat straighter, "What do you know of Stefan?"

"Poor presence in the courts, but has an eye for large or profitable cases," Diaval nodded at his short assessment, "Also has an eye for hiring to a point. I didn't make the cut for a paralegal in the offices, but I am sure that I dodged a bullet. If he makes partner, I feel like the offices may be a bit done for. He has offered me work here and there if he needs a runner on cases, but I know my worth and it is more than that."

"Indeed you are," she nodded and leaned back in her chair as she looked him over again, "You're hired."

"For what exactly did I sign myself up for?" he asked as he shook her hand.

"Paralegal if needed, but my personal assistant on cases prep, or anything that I may need," she offered.

"You saved my life," he smirked and leaned back to sit into his chair again, "I am here for whatever you may need."

* * *

Months went by like clockwork. In a short amount of time, it seemed like the two of them had worked side by side for years. Maleficent would wake up, head to the coffee shop, where Diaval would already be waiting with both their coffees in hand. Hers would always still be pipping hot no matter if she was running early, late or right on time. She didn't know how he did it, but she let it lay.

He was the best paralegal she had ever had. He was able to dive into details never sought out before and tear through the law books to find what was needed in their favor. His tenacity was almost as equal as her own and she was thankful for it. He also pushed her views further than before. Where others would let her do what she wanted, he actually made her question herself. In many ways it was exasperating, but it did make her better at her job. She needed it as it was never provided before, she was never challenged in such a way. Not even by Stefan. It became refreshing. There she realized that it wasn't that she wanted to be feared, she wanted to be respected and built up instead of constantly torn down.

Cases that did not run smoothly made her a little more than irritable and others knew to stay out of her way. She would have scared off any other assistant by the numerous tantrums that she threw, but he stayed by her side despite her tirades. When she offered to toss him through her window one day after a particularly bad day in court, he offered to do it himself with a smile.

"That... won't be necessary," she muttered and cooled down by the time they left the office that night.

"As you command, Mistress."

"Mistress? Really?" she frowned at the nickname, but it was too late. It stuck.

"I feel like it fits you quite well," he offered.

"I'm sorry for my temper. I can't lose you," she said softer than she meant to. She saw his face soften just slightly and she turned from him, "Who else would be able to pull your workload and keep that vexing positive attitude?"

"Don't pretend you don't like it. I'm the highlight of your day. Admit it."

"Only because you bring me my coffee."

"I will take it!" he smiled with a cheer.

* * *

A year into Diaval's involvement, a high profile case was dropped into their lap. A low wage worker at a top box store was injured along with a few half a dozen others because of their boss and company's low standards of safety. Maleficent almost waved the case away, until Diaval pointed out that the court system isn't just about criminals. It's about the innocents too. Maleficent, though reluctantly, took the case.

She readied her materials and Diaval carried along beside her on the way to the courthouse. They would be with their clients and face the accused for the first time. Maleficent looked at the news trucks at the side of the building. Another first for her. The case would be televised.

"You better be right about this," she warned him.

"I know you better than you know yourself now. You can handle this and I will be right there with you," he reminded her and bumped her shoulder with his own to remind her of his proximity, "Always will be."

They walked into the courtroom, their clients already set in their place. Maleficent then turned to the other team and nearly doubled over. None other than Perceforest Law were at the table and their new partner at the front.

Diaval caught her arm discretely and pulled her up next to him as if she had tripped, "Don't let them see you waiver, remember?"

She took a breath and with a subtle nod she walked to her table to talk over the primary notes on the case before they began. Before everyone was settled none other than Stefan walked to the table and smiled down at Maleficent.

"I see that you've been making strides, Mal," he offered and leaned on her table.

"I saw that you got partner, congratulations," she answered back and looked up at him with a calm mask, "It only took a year, a marriage and a stolen case to do so."

"Don't be angry that I outmaneuvered you," he smirked even though she knew she hit a soft spot by the twitch of his right eye. A tell that he never fully got rid of.

"No Stefan, you slipped it out from under me during the same time you said you loved me," she said evenly. Diaval looked from her to their counter council and then back again, things shifted into place. She always had told him that she had a past with Stefan, but would never elaborate and he knew better not to ask. Now as he saw them face to face for the first time, he knew more than she could have ever told him. She cleared her throat and shook her head, "The past is the past. Let's not make this personal. I am here for my clients who are injured and in need of reparations. You are our counter council. That is the extent of our relationship, Mr. Barnhand. Let's leave it at that, please."

Stefan gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening. He had hoped to spook her somehow. It didn't work and he knew it. He pushed back from the table and looked at Diaval, "And who is this?"

"I can speak for myself, thank you," Diaval stood from his chair and blocked Stefan from Maleficent, "I am the paralegal and assistant on this case. I would have introduced myself earlier, but you were too focused on trying to intimidate my boss. You will have to try better than that. She's stronger than you think."

Stefan scoffed at him, took a slight look at Maleficent and then turned to his desk, "Let's see about that."

The case was a tough one to fight. The big box company had a lot of ground covered, had a few tricks that Maleficent and Diaval didn't see coming. It beat them down, but they weren't out yet. With the case almost lost, they hit a breakthrough at the end of the third day. Maleficent turned on her desk lamp and yawned before she ran through the case log again. She knew it would be a long night if she were to pull this off.

She looked up at Diaval for a fleeting moment and sighed, "You may go home, Diaval. I am sure I can finish it from here in time for court tomorrow."

He looked at her for a long moment before he shuffled on his jacket and headed toward the door. A part of her chest constricted as she heard the door close at the front. It wasn't like him to just walk away from a challenge like the current one, but it looked like even he had enough of her. She wasn't to her best with Stefan at the other desk. The last time that they were in a courtroom together, they were at the same table. It shook her more than what she wanted to admit. Diaval probably saw it more than anyone and was tired of it. With a shake of her head, she focused on the files underhand. She had to finish this case strong.

Fifteen minutes later the door opened again with Diaval and two large cups of coffee. He put one by her hand and the other he immediately sipped from. Without another word, he plopped down into the chair next to her, put his cup down and grabbed the file under the one she had at hand. She stared at him for a moment or two more before she took a deep breath.

"I thought that you went home."

"And miss the fun?" he asked and flipped open to the page he needed, "I'll stay."

"You know I am not at my best," she stared at him long and hard, "Haven't been this whole case."

"Which is why you have me," he countered as he flicked his eyes up to hers, "For whatever you may need."

Her lips quirked up into a hint of a smile before she took her first sip of coffee, "As you wish."

"Can I ask you something that may cross a line?"

"When has that stopped you before?" she asked with a sigh and put down her coffee. She turned to him and nodded, "Go ahead."

"What about him makes you so shaky?" he asked and leaned toward her just slightly.

"History mostly," she looked down at her hands and she thought over her relationship failure, "He was bright, a people person- of which I am not- and he didn't fear me. I seem to overwhelm people when they first meet me."

"Only those who are too weak-willed," Diaval waved off her negative comments.

"He didn't seem like others. He charmed me and the way that he could handle prep work and people, and me- I thought we were a match. And he let me believe it. Then he took what he wanted from our case files and left after five years for the best opportunity he could. He told me that it was love," she paused and looked back to the files as if to end the conversation, "If that is what love is, it is only for fools."

"It wasn't."

She looked back at him to find him staring straight at her. His eyes unwavering and willing her to hear him, "What?"

"That wasn't love," Diaval said in a certain tone.

"And you would know how?"

"I may be a charmer and a bit of a flirt when it comes to the opposite sex, but I know something as serious as love," he explained and tilted his head in thought of how to approach it, "Love is something grand and amazing. It can overwhelm you into not seeing things that are there and for seeing things that aren't. It's something that can skew your thoughts and feelings. It's also something that can clear your mind and see a person for who they truly are and not for what they paint themselves to be. Beauty that is missed by all others can be spotted by those in love. It opens yourself to hurt, yeah, but it also opens yourself to be loved and accepted for who you are."

Maleficent took a moment for his words to encompass her and then she breathed out a small laugh, "She's very lucky."

"Who?" Diaval leaned back a little.

"The one you love," she said with a small smile, "Does she know?"

"Not a clue," he huffed out a chuckle and turned from her back to the files, "Not to worry, doesn't interfere with work. I don't think it ever will."

"It may. Not all women want to share their partners," Maleficent took her coffee to sip at the hot substance to warm the sudden cold feeling in her chest.

"She doesn't see me as such, so it's a moot point."

"Then she is the fool."

"A beautiful one at that," he nodded as he took a look at her for a moment longer than he should have. She felt her cheeks begin to flush as he turned away once more to the file in his hand. He took a deep breath, "So, how are we going to serve defeat to the braggart that is Stefan Barnhand?"

"With that which he doesn't wield well... the truth."

The next evening was spent at the local bar with the rest of the team from Moors. The case was finally won, with nothing but a statement that was falsified and documented. They had found it and presented it in a way that made it perfectly clear that not only was the company liable, they were also found to be at fault for multiple other reckless acts.

"To a flawless win!" Robin cheered and lifted his bottle with the rest of the group.

"I would not say it was flawless," Maleficent admitted, but still tapped her glass with the others. She smiled genuinely at the table and at Diaval who sat right next to her. He had his arm over the back of her chair as he laughed and cheered with the rest of them, "But very well deserved."

"Deserved is not the word I would choose," a voice said from behind her.

The whole table went silent as she turned to find Stefan behind her, a small shot of whiskey in hand.

"Then you weren't watching the same case," Robin chimed in, "They beat you."

"Just wait for my appeal."

"On what grounds?" Diaval was the one to answer that time.

"Diaval, don't mind him," Maleficent sighed and pulled at his jacket, "He isn't worth it."

"Be that as it may, I have had enough," Diaval stood from his chair to be eye to eye with the man, "I am not a violent individual, but your capacity to feel like you are deserved a victory just on the grounds of being you astounds me to the point of wanting to be."

"What, you are her guard dog now?"

"She doesn't need one," he shook his head, "She can do that all on her own. I wouldn't dare step in on that. This is for me and what I think. You lost your case, you lost fairly. She beat you. Everyone who worked on the case did. And I think what is really bothering you is not so much the defeat in court, but she defeated you personally. She thrived on her own when you needed to lean on the marriage to the other partner's daughter. You needed to resort to trickery to grab a case that she originally caught, where she worked diligently and hard to be who she is in the courtroom- of which you cannot compare. She is her own strong, honest, beautiful person. You, on the other hand, will always look for the easy way to your goals- no matter how underhanded that may be."

"How dare you!" Stefan poked him in the chest as his whiskey sloshed in his glass, "What are you a glorified messenger boy!?"

"No, that is what you wanted him to be," Maleficent said calmly as she stood from her chair and next to Diaval. She didn't raise her voice, didn't start one of her famous tantrums. She only stood next to Diaval and faced Stefan together with him, "I know you don't remember him. He came to you for a job over a year ago. A job that he fulfilled at my office in spectacular fashion. He is the real reason that you lost, for I could not have done it without him."

"Maleficent-"

"It's true, you opened so many doors and avenues I would not have suspected. Thank you."

"So you have replaced me," Stefan toss back his whiskey and put the glass on the nearest table, "Tell me, how many times did you have to say that you loved her?"

"Not a one," Maleficent said strongly fighting back the urge to punch the man, "He has earned my trust without flattery or deception."

"Well, I wouldn't say I haven't said it," Diaval let out a breath and took her hand in his, "I may have been holding something back. Remember the one we talked about last night over the case files?"

"I remember," Maleficent narrowed her eyes in thought.

"It was you," Diaval shrugged a bit helpless at that point, "It was always you from the moment that you peeled me off the pavement that morning. I have said that I loved you in every way that I could since then."

"The coffee?" she asked as a guess.

"Every morning and sometimes afternoons," he nodded.

"The overnights working on cases where you wouldn't leave my side?"

"You may have been an incentive to stay."

She finally smiled and looked down in embarrassment, "The time you offered to toss yourself out the window so I wouldn't toss you myself?"

He chuckled at her smile and squeezed her hand to get her to look at him, "I knew you would regret it in the morning."

She looked up at him, her smile still on her face. She looked deep into his dark, black eyes and without knowing at what point she had fallen, she simply realized that she had. With a huff of resignation, she bit her lip and said, "It's not as much of a moot point as you may think. What a fool I am."

"So you have replaced me," Stefan said again.

"No, what we had was never love, Stefan. I can see that now. And I can see you for what you were and what you are," Maleficent paused as she looked at her past, "I haven't replaced you. I just fell in love. File your appeal. We will be waiting."

Stefan looked back and forth between her and Diaval for a moment before he finally turned and left the bar. As he left, their small table erupted with cheer and laughter once more.

"So, what's next then? Do I hear wedding bells?" Robin asked and nudged at Balthazar who rolled his eyes as he drank his drink.

"I don't know, I haven't asked yet," Diaval smiled and looked at Maleficent who had yet to drop his hand. He pulled her closer to him by the hand and wrapped her in a close embrace around her waist, "Let me say it this time. I love you."

She smiled brightly and pushed some of his hair from his face, "Let me mean it this time. I love you, too."


	6. Family Alphabet

**Chapter: Family Alphabet**

A/N: This one came from Tumblr. I had put out that I needed some prompts or inspiration as I wanted some more writing to unblock my current writing block. It's strange, but it works. Anyway, this is kind of a continuation of the first Alphabet, now with more Selene and big sister Aurora as well. Of course, there is still no fitting x word I could find, so again one that ended in x was chosen. Thank you, taradiddled!

**Attachment**

Diaval was an old bird by anyone's standards but now had a young fledgling of his own blood. Something he thought he'd never have. He believed his attachment to Aurora and Maleficent would be all he ever needed. It was true at the time, but little Selene was a blessing in many ways. A complete surprise for her mother, a miracle to him and a welcomed sister to Aurora. Never had he thought he would become so attached to so many that were not raven. He believed that he would attach himself to only one other. Now there were three.

**Belong**

Maleficent searched for a place to belong as there were no fairy like her in the Moors. She thought she had found that place with Stefan as he was different from other humans. Then the betrayal, and she was lost once again. She thought maybe when she got her wings back, but there still wasn't that tangible feeling. Then her and Diaval and Aurora became a little family, the feeling grew warm and comfortable. Then on that evening that Selene came into the world, everything finally set into place. Diaval's mate and mother of Aurora and Selene, she belonged completely.

**Couple**

"I have always wondered," Aurora whispered to her parents as both Rose and Selene were down for a nap.

Diaval and Maleficent sat close together against the base of Rowen Tree as Diaval smoothed his fingers through Maleficent's feathers.

"I know those of the Moors do not marry like humans, so what title do you go by?"

"Mates," Maleficent said casually, "As both of our kinds mate for life, we don't have to go any further than that."

Diaval looked from his mate to his daughter, "I thought being a couple instead of a single was enough."

**Doll**

Aurora doted on her baby sister every chance she had. She let Rose babble with her grandparents during visits while she got to play with her sister. Aurora dug into a saddle bag from her horse and pulled out a small plush doll that was sewn together by one of her seamstresses. It wasn't anything fancy and even used more of the natural materials instead of silks and velvet. Aurora took care to add feathers to the doll's back herself.

"For my dear little sister," Aurora announced and let the toddler grab and shake the doll in excitement, "You're welcome."

**Eyebrow**

As Selene and Rose both grew into childhood, they discovered the ins and outs of getting into and out of trouble. Rose inherited her mother's curious nature and Selene had Maleficent's impishness. The young girls jumped from rock to rock over the ponds and hid through the many forests. Diaval kept an eye on them from above to keep them safe, but was a push over when it came to their pouts when they found to be in trouble. The girls had few fears, except when Maleficent caught wind of their wrong doings and an eyebrow would lift in question.

**Father**

The first time that Aurora had called Diaval 'father' was on a day like any other. A small picnic shared all together with Phillip and Maleficent.

She offered him a plate, "My father, always the hungry one."

The name warmed him from the inside out. She was always his fledgling, but to know she saw him as her true father was a welcomed shock.

When Selene began to talk he had another blow while rocking her to sleep one night, his hands over her small wings.

"Love Papa," she whispered as she drifted off.

"Papa loves you, too."

**Gown**

Selene watched from the chaise as her sister and niece were fitted for their newest gowns. There was a celebration in the Perceforest kingdom for the anniversary of Aurora's reign.

"Sister, why do humans have to wear such heavy cloth?" Selene asked as she pulled at Rose's skirts.

"It's tradition to wear finery on special occasions," Aurora explained.

"Seems like a silly tradition," Selene giggled.

"Mother, if everyone in the royal family should wear a gown, why not your sister?" Rose asked with her own smirk.

Minutes later Selene frowned on the pedestal next to Rose.

**Horns**

"Papa, why don't you have horns like mama and me?" Selene asked when she was four.

He looked to Maleficent for help and she only raised her brows in wonder of his answer.

"Well, fledgling, I'm a raven. How silly would I look with horns?" he asked and tapped her nose.

"You're not like other ravens. Who knows, maybe you would do well with horns."

"I would look silly," he argued.

"Do I look silly?" she asked and pulled at her horns.

"You and your mother look beautiful with your horns. Never believe otherwise."

**Innocent**

Selene never knew the evils of war and human greed. She and Rose were innocents and if Maleficent had any say, they would never see war. She took great care to shield her family from the ugliness of conflict. Aurora and Phillip strove to do the same.

"She will stay innocent," Maleficent said as Selene slept.

"You can't keep her locked up. You know as well as I do that she will see it one day. The bad that comes with the good."

"What do we do?"

"Prepare her for it. That will keep her safe."

**Jewel**

"Why do humans covet these trinkets so often?" Selene asked and rolled a jewel from the pools between her fingers. She showed Rose and pushed it toward her face, "Do you feel drawn to it?"

"Father has many jewels in the treasury that are pretty enough. I don't see the need for more," Rose scoffed, "Return it to the pool, where it belongs."

"Off you go back home," Selene whispered to the jewel and dropped it into the water.

"I don't understand it either," Rose sighed, "There are more precious things in this world. Like family."

**Knee**

At six, Selene's wings became heavy with full feathers instead of soft down. Her wings would be able to carry her to the sky. But now, she sat on the ground with her scrapped knee tight to her chest.

"Landing is not the easiest to do with larger wings trying to pull you back up," Maleficent sighed and knelt over her daughter. She put her hand over the injury and let her magic heal.

"I am mess."

"I was too. You truly are my daughter," Maleficent glanced up to see the proud smile that graced Selene's face.

**Leader**

She knew that her sister was the Queen of the Moors, but Selene also understood that her mother was the leader of the Dark Fey. Selene sat at the top of the hill that overlooked the meeting of the Dark Fey clans with her father sat at her side. They watched as Maleficent kept the peace between the clans and the humans as well as command respect.

"Mother is a queen like 'Rora, huh Papa?"

"Not quite, little love. But close enough. She will always be a queen to me."

"Is that why you call her Mistress?"

**Memory**

Memories were a tricky thing, Diaval thought. He could remember as far back as the moment that he emerged from his egg, he could remember the first time he took flight and he definitely remembered when he met his mate and the birth of their daughter. All happy memories, each better than the last. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember ever feeling as happy as he did in this single moment. Both of his daughters stood on each side as Maleficent told all three of them that their family would be growing yet again. Then he fainted.

**Nursery**

Diaval was hard at work on the nest to rest their newest addition. Aurora danced around the cliff side as she added touches that she had brought from the castle. Maleficent smirked at the work that they were all fussing over for the new little one that was to come.

"I don't see why we just have them sleep with us as we did with Selene," she offered from her seat.

"It was a shame too. Any sibling of mine will have a proper nursery!" Aurora swore.

Rose and Selene shook their heads in wonder. Adults were strange.

**Overlook**

Selene gulped as she looked down at the drop. Her wings folded against her back in fear of the fall. Diaval's hand rested against her back and knelt down to come eye to eye.

"You have nothing to fear. Even if the wind doesn't catch you, your mother and I will," he swore. He gave her a grin, ran to the edge where he shifted into a raven and circled through the air. He cawed at her gently.

"Follow your father," Maleficent urged her.

She took a breath for courage and took the leap, her wings wide open.

**Privacy**

They knew that once they had a child, the life of privacy that they had grown accustomed to was over. There would be less intensity with intimacy as there would always be a pair of eyes watching. Actions that were thrilling would halt as there would be a smaller person underfoot and within hearing range. That is the exact reason why Maleficent and Diaval were so thankful for Aurora. Their daughters adored one another and for one day, every fortnight, their sought after privacy was restored. But if ever needed, they would trade every form of privacy for their children.

**Quiet**

Maleficent rested along a thick branch that overlooked one of the many lakes as her daughter and granddaughter cooled themselves in the waters. She leaned her head back against the branch as her hands laid softly over her now swelling belly. She could feel herself falling into slumber in the quiet.

"It's too quiet," she muttered and opened her eyes to find Selene over her, a hand full of water held overhead, "You think that wise?"

"I think it funny," she opened her hands.

Maleficent's magic turned the water back at her daughter, "You're right. It is funny."

**Related**

"I understand why father doesn't have horns, but why don't you have wings?" Selene asked Aurora while they were in Ulstead's library.

Rose looked up from her book, "Why haven't you asked me that?"

"Phillip doesn't have any wings and I got Papa's wings, so I thought that's why."

"I'm a human, Selene," Aurora explained, "I won't have wings."

"Papa's a raven and Mama's fairy, how are you human?"

"Mother and father raised me since I was a baby."

"You're not my sister?"

"_I am_. Never doubt that. Family is more than blood."

**Sister**

Just as the sun crested the mountains that surrounded the Moors, Selene was woken by her mother groaning heavily and her father rustling the branches of the Rowen tree. An hour later a babe was welcomed.

"Come meet your brother."

Selene knelt next to her and looked at the babe. Dark brown hair was broken by two swirls that would become horns. One small black wing shifted over his shoulder as his eyes blinked slightly to look up at her. His small hand wrapped around one of her fingers.

"This is Kieran."

"Hello Kieran... I'm your sister."

**Teacher**

After Keiran was born, he was never alone. If one of his parents were not watching him than his sisters were. But it was Selene who took the responsibility of teacher. She told him all the stories that she had learned from the Moor Folk. She told him about the Dark Fey and their once unknown culture. And even though his flying wings would not come in for years, she told him all she knew of flying as she had just mastered landing. He would need not question anything as she would already tell him all he needed to know.

**Unfair**

A year passed and Selene found an upsetting thing about having wings. Her beautiful flight feathers that she had been proud of were falling out and leaving gaps in her wingspan.

"It's a normal thing for wings with feathers, love," Diaval reminded her as he bounced Kieran on his knee.

"This is so unfair! _Rose_ doesn't molt!" she pulled at the tip of her wing to see the newest gap had formed. She tried to use her magic to grow her feathers faster, but it didn't help.

"Rose doesn't have wings," Maleficent reminded her.

"So unfair!"

**Visit**

The next time that Aurora and Rose visited the Moors she had news to share with her family. Selene met her and Rose at the boarder as usual. This time as she approached her older sister, she noticed something different. She was slightly bigger than before, just as her mother was when...

"You're going to have a baby!" Selene screamed out as she pointed at her sister's stomach.

"It's that obvious?" Aurora giggled and rubbed at her stomach.

"Don't be so loud, Selene," Rose hushed her aunt and put her arm around hers, "Let's go tell grandmother."

**Wild**

As daughter of the Guardian of the Moors, she was proud of her heritage. One of the latest in line of the Phoenix, the living myth's blood flowed through her veins. She soared over the many lakes and fields of the Moors easily on her wings as she called out hellos to many of the inhabitants. She learned to dive and flip and bank in the air just as her parents. She felt free and alive as she rode the winds. The Moor Folk would laugh as they watched her. She was just as wild as her mother once was.

**Fix**

"Papa, can I be fixed?"

Diaval immediately stopped and turned to his daughter, "What about you would need to be fixed?"

"The human children never have to preen or worry of where they may hit their horns," she muttered and looked out from their cliff home toward the Ulstead hamlet.

Diaval hugged her to his side, "Your wings may need to be preened, but they surpass any shiny thing the kids may wear. Your horns are tall, but tell the story of how you've grown. You don't need to be fixed. You are perfect the way you are."

**Years**

The years pass by too quickly for Maleficent. She remembered when Aurora was nothing but a little beastie running through the fields of the forest glens outside the Moors. Now she had two children of her own who were growing older and taller each time she saw them. Then Selene, the babe she had birthed herself, was growing too fast and would be coming to her ninth birthday in the coming months. Her brother turning three not too long after. Soon they would also start their own families. Oh, how she would stop the years from coming if she could.

**Zeal**

Maleficent watched her children play with the other Dark Fey at the Heart of the Moors. They were never in need of assurance of peace, or known anything close to war with humans. Their zeal for life only seemed to boost her own. She still guarded the Moors with other Dark Fey, she still kept the peace with the humans with help of her oldest daughter and she still rode the winds in the early morning with Diaval at her side as he always would be. The zeal was never truly gone, just re-sparked by the laughter of her children.


	7. Oblivious

**Chapter**: Oblivious

**A/N**: This prompt was a request off of Tumblr as well from onceuponaminute16. Don't want to put much of the prompt in here as it would spell out the entire oneshot. I hope you will enjoy, and as always happy reading.

Peace had finally settled between the kingdom of men and the magical Moors. Queen Aurora and her husband, the now crowned King Phillip, ruled their blended people with compassion and righteousness. The Dark Fey who chose to rejoin the land of their ancestors made strides to understand the humans and their ways. There were always to be disputes and small scuffles between two meeting cultures, but for the most part, respect and a willingness to understand won out in the end.

In the Moors, Maleficent kept the peace with the tree sentries and those of the Dark Fey who wanted to protect their new home. Her days were spent flying over the large expanse of the Moors, talking over matters of discontent with all types of clan leaders at the Moor Palace or discussing the upcoming celebrations of Dark Fey tradition that she was yet again unaware of. She had grown up under the watchful eyes of fairies that were nothing like her. Her parents were the only other Dark Fey left in the Moors and when they perished in the war when she was a babe, she had no one to learn from. Her people were strangers to her.

At the moment, the Dark Fey Phoenix was perched along a sturdy tree branch as she looked over the group of children from Ulstead and Perceforest interwoven with the children of the Moors. They walked and talked with one another and shared stories of their own between them. Their parents and guardians stood a little way off, still in sight, but mingling much like their children.

The children ran after one another, taught each other their games they would usually play and some of the Dark Fey even try to lift the humans with them as they flew overhead. Maleficent was transported to the times of her own childhood where her and Stefan would tell each other stories and run around the Moor's woods and rivers, unaware of the large divide of their species. Such good memories that were tainted of the greed of the past.

Her attention was caught as a dark figure flew in between and around the children. The raven cawed after the small group that had chased after him as if he was laughing. He may just be. He stayed low enough that the human children could play along and the fey did not have enough height to use their wings as an advantage. He always made sure that everyone was on equal footing.

Her faithful servant still stayed with her, still an ever present constant at her side. He would tour the Moors with her as she made her rounds, he would insert well thought arguments in debates and was always there to be an ear when she needed to talk of any worries. She had told him that he was more than free to be who he needed and wanted to be with the peaceful reign of her daughter and his fledgling. He refused, as he stood by his vow to be there for whatever she may need, even if the debt had been more than repaid years prior. His heart had remained pure despite his constant company with someone who's heart was definitely not. Her hand went to her chest to feel her heart beat faster than normal as she kept her mind on him. Her dark heart would leap with the thought of the hope and light in his own. But her mind and mouth stayed silent and showed no affection while he was in the form of a man, when he had a hand to hold... or arms to wrap in... or even lips to-

She hissed at her thoughts and banished them back into her mind. There was no room in her life for that kind of hope and dreams. She tried to love like that once and the heartbreak nearly cost her another. She cannot let that happen again.

Diaval banked in the air as he turned with a flip in the air and let out a victorious caw. He was keeping a good pace with the children.

"That will not do," Maleficent smiled to herself. Her hand flicked out in golden magic and suddenly the raven shifted in midair to the man.

Diaval squawked and hit the ground, flat on his front. Maleficent tried to hide her laughter, but couldn't stop an ungraceful snort that slipped passed. Not even a second after he hit the ground, the children were upon him. They laid their small bodies over his legs, his arms and a couple of them sat on his back. The poor creature was covered shoulder to toe in children of all races and creeds. He struggled to look up and directly at her tree. Her narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of her in the branches.

"You have caught me!" he said dramatically toward the children, "I will have to submit!"

"Then you are our servant!" one of the Dark Fey children of the jungle clans crowed from his back.

"I will give you favors, young lord, but I am servant to no one but the great phoenix herself," he explained and the children climbed off of him so he could stand. Once he dusted himself off he knelt and looked at the children more or less eye to eye, "Though I am sure you would all do well to a handsome servant as myself, my life is linked to only one other. And that's the way it will stay for I would be found no where else."

Maleficent heard his words and her heart beat faster in her chest.

He looked over the heads of the children to look at Maleficent who didn't move, but her eyes wide. He knew then that she could hear him as well as see him.

"You should never leave her?" a young boy asked with his arms crossed, "What would you do if one of us saved your life? What would you do then?"

"I would owe you a great debt, but my vow would still be to my mistress," Diaval explained, "I am loyal to a fault as most ravens are. Honest. I would not and will not stray."

"What if you were to find love?" a female Dark Fey child of the Desert Clan asked as her brown wings shuffled behind her in a bit of shyness, "I've heard that ravens mate for life, what if you should find a she-raven to nest with? What of your mistress then?"

"You mean to talk of love?" Diaval asked and the children all gathered around him as if he was telling a tale. His eyes flicked up to where she was still in the tree. She seemed to have leaned toward them to hear better.

'Maybe it was time to let her know without doubt...' Diaval thought to himself.

"Lord Diaval?" the jungle fey asked him and pulled at his sleeve.

Diaval cleared his throat and smiled back at the group of children, "I know well of love and it would not change anything between my mistress and myself. I love deeply, but I will never have want to leave my mistress."

"So, you are in love with someone?" a human girl asked this time, her hands clasped together in front of her in a show of excitement. He could tell that the young one was a romantic.

He chuckled at her and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Have been for a while now, yes."

Maleficent's thundering heartbeat suddenly stopped at his words. A cold washed over her being. He loved someone, has for some time.

How could she have not known? They spent many days and nights together, when had he even met such a radiant creature that they could steal his heart? Was it during the many and continuing Dark Fey celebrations? It must have been. It was true that many of Fey women were drawn to him as they described him as prime mate material, but she didn't think that any of them made more strives to grab the raven-man's attention and affections.

"OH! Who is it?!" the same romantic girl asked as she grabbed at his arm and shook him to garner his complete attention.

He chuckled quite amused at her excitement, "Isn't it apparently obvious?"

Maleficent felt like she would fall off the branch. It should be obvious? To _children_ it should be obvious?

She shook her head and ignored the cold feeling in her chest. She stood on the large branch under her and took off into the sky toward her nest.

Diaval suddenly looked up at her departure and scrambled to his feet. He took a couple steps toward her retreating form with a furrow at his brow. He stood still for a moment or two trying for the life of him to figure out where he had gone wrong.

"Lord Diaval?" the jungle fey pulled at his hand, "What happened?"

"I don't know, little one," Diaval frowned slightly.

"You love the Phoenix."

Diaval turned quickly to see a couple of the mothers of the children approach. They must have been listening in on the conversation as well. He knew that some of the ladies of the courts and of the Dark Fey have expressed interest in him, but he was always careful to respectfully reject such advances. His heart, just like the rest of him, was spoken for.

"How?" Diaval asked.

"As you said, it was obvious," another woman added on and saw the drop in Diaval's head in rejection, "But something tells me that she isn't as good seeing the obvious as others."

He huffed a sad laugh, "That she is not."

"So?" another woman from the hamlet stepped forward.

"So..." Diaval questioned in confusion.

"You're going after her, aren't you?"

"I have no wings," he said as he flexed his hands to show the digits.

"But you have legs," the original woman said, "And if I were to let the person that held my heart know that they do, I would use whatever I had to get to them."

Diaval looked at the ladies and then the children in thought. He took a deep breath and nodded, "You're right. This form never stopped me before."

* * *

Maleficent sat in her low nest in the Rowen tree, close to the Heart of the Moors. She saw the preparations of the celebration not too far away. She had unwrapped her horns and head to let her hair hang loose for the festivities. In the moment she was just finishing the wire wrap around her horns. She did not feel at all like celebrating, but she felt like she owed her people to at least try. Besides, she needed a distraction. If Diaval was in love and wished to pursue his lady, she would be seeing less and less of him as he did so. She would have to find other avenues to entertain herself- no, that wasn't right. He was more than entertainment.

He was her confidant, her closest adviser and friend. He helped her raise Aurora, he was as much a parent to the queen as she was. He was the voice that echoed in her mind when she thought of decisions that affected the Moors. He was the company that she sought out the most outside of Aurora. She took a deep breath and laid a hesitant hand on her chest as her heart began to ache just slightly. Then she turned a little angry at him. He didn't even think to tell her of his feelings? Didn't their friendship give him the leeway to talk of such things with her? Did he not think her worthy enough to meet this woman?

That was ridiculous. He trusted her with everything, even if he didn't agree with some of her choices. He always stood by them with her. Maybe it was as obvious as he said and she just chose not to see it. Maybe she needed to try harder with her own kind. Strike more friendships so his inevitable loss wouldn't sting so harshly.

"...mistress."

Maleficent leaned out to look down from the tree to find a huffing Diaval, "There you are."

"You left me with the children in this," he gestured to his human form, "Had to trek half way across the Moors, I did."

"Stop your belly aching," she rolled her eyes and turned on her cold exterior, her heart locked away, "You seem just fine."

"Easy for you to say with your glorious wings," he pointed up at her.

Maleficent glided down from the tree, her horns decorated and her gown clean and in a bright yet deep green. She held her head high and looked him over. His clothing was a bit scuffed up from his trek.

Her hand swirled with gold magic as she cleaned him up and changed his clothing to something similar to her own. She thought that it may be the wrong thing to dress him to match herself, but she had done so before and if this woman was to have a problem with it, she could tell her herself. If she couldn't stand up to Maleficent, then she didn't deserve Diaval.

"Something is wrong," he said suddenly at the lost look in her face.

"Don't be ridiculous," she huffed and walked toward the Fairy Hill.

His hand quickly snapped out and gently took one of her own, his fingers entwining with hers, "There is. Please, talk with me."

His eyes searched hers as she looked back at him. She waved her other hand not connected to his to turn him back into his raven form, "I don't want to talk."

He beat his wings to keep airborne and caws fell silent at his beak. He knew something was troubling her. His own troubles would have to wait. He landed on her shoulder and she let him stay there as they made their way to the beginning of festivities.

As the celebration turned into full swing, Maleficent felt more and more out of place. Dark Fey of all kinds danced and cheered with the other Moorland fairies, but none of them really went out of their way to include the Phoenix. She was in a corner as she watched on. Her original thought of talking with the others only led to her confusion or boredom. She tried to make conversation about the Moors and their merge into with the other fairy kind around them. Even talked of humans and how they were with the new fairy kind from their observations. They participated in the 'small talk' as Diaval had once explained to her, but they didn't know how to really talk with her. They didn't know her passions and her skills. They know what they knew, and that was enough. She eventually turned to the outer ring to watch on as she always had.

Diaval stayed attached to her shoulder the whole time, never asking once to be changed to man to go partake of the Moorland buffet or wander around with the others. He stayed with her. Maybe his lady love hadn't arrived at these festivities.

A hour into her self appointed banishment to the outer ring of the festivities, Boora approached her.

"Good evening, Phoenix," he greeted and bowed his head toward her.

"Boora," she tilted her head back.

"Are you to sit away this blessed event with only a bird for company?"

Diaval's feathers puffed at Boora as a slight caw was huffed out.

"Diaval is splendid company," she offered as explanation even though she had yet to say one word to the raven all night. She absentmindedly scratched under Diaval's chin, "I have not found another that has kept my interest as he has."

"Maybe you were not asking the right fey," Boora smirked, followed by a low rumble in his chest.

Maleficent looked at him a bit shocked, but then laughed at his attempt to tempt her, "No, Boora. I don't think so."

"I am the strongest of my clan and the best fighter of the council," he explained and flexed one arm and wing to show it was so.

Diaval cawed lowly as if he would be rolling his eyes if he were human.

"That may be, Boora, but that is not what I search for in a companion to take my time."

"And what is?"

"Intelligence."

"I have that."

"If you had the right kind, you would take care of my rebuttal," she warned him.

"Phoenix, you need not search, any of us would willingly come to you," Boora took her hand and pulled her toward him.

Maleficent stiffened in discomfort. This is not where she wanted this conversation to go, "Come to me? I-I don't-"

"Yes, whatever you would want or need. We would do that for you. We would not shun you for company or even to mate."

In a split second, Diaval was at Boora's face. He flapped his wings vigorously at the fey to blind him. He didn't use his talons, but he was close to it. Boora dropped Maleficent's hand and she pulled back fully and stood. Diaval cawed and pecked lightly at Boora's face and hands. Before blood would be spilled, Maleficent waved her hand and Diaval landed on the ground as a man.

"And another thing," Diaval yelled at Boora as he poked his finger in the air at him, "She does not need anyone to do anything she needs, she has me for that. Always will. Come to her for friendship and understanding, not to- to mate her!"

Boora huffed at the raven-man and then looked to Maleficent to see if she would correct him. She did not in any way or form. He huffed again, straightened himself and then took off toward the main fairy hill.

As he left, Diaval brushed off his clothes and then his hands before he turned back to Maleficent, "A bit of wild card, that one."

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?" he asked, his hands now on his hips.

"That you will always be with me?"

"We've talked about this," he relaxed his shoulders and sat down on a root that she was lounging on before Boora came over, "Sit down, your wings are drooping. Usually means there is too much on your mind."

She shook her head though she did as he asked. He knew her so well.

"Are you going to talk to me now?" he asked as she settled next to him.

"You knew that I heard you earlier with the children," she said and kept her eyes on the lights around them and not on him.

"I did," Diaval nodded and busied himself with his strange human hands.

Maleficent hesitated and then took a deep breath, "I just want you... you to be happy."

"What makes you think that I'm not?" his brows instantly furrowed as he looked at her, "Do I make you think that I don't enjoy every moment with you?"

"I know there are times that you would rather be elsewhere," she looked at the ground, "Or with someone else."

"Someone else...?"

"Again, I want you to be happy," she finally looked straight into his eyes, "Even if it is not with me. I feel ashamed that I don't even know the one that holds your heart so steadfastly."

His eyes searched hers for a moment before he gave her the smallest of smiles, "You know her well enough. I just know her better."

"I have no clue how you have hidden her from me. You spend much of your time with me," she floundered in her thoughts as she totally missed the look in his eyes. An epiphany popped into her head, "Or with Aurora... is she a resident in Ulstead? A handmaiden, perhaps?"

Diaval shook his head, now a little amused at the guess, "No."

"No, I wouldn't know a handmaiden. Is she part of the council?"

"She is," he smirked at the new game that unfolded.

"Not many there, and it definitely is not Nanny Stout," she shook her head and looked back out to the hills to try and understand, "Is it Shrike?"

"You know well that she is bonding with Percival," he reminded her.

"That's true," she took another breath in thought. He began to laugh lightly at her serious thought process. She suddenly frowned, but didn't look back at him, "This is frustrating, you miserable bird and yet you laugh at me. Do you hate me or something?"

"Not at all," Diaval leaned toward her, his hand caught her chin. He pulled her chin toward him to make sure that he eyes were level with his. His smile caught her off guard, "I'm actually quite in love with you, really."

"...what?"

He leaned forward further and captured her lips with his own as he had seen Aurora and Phillip do many times before. His lips pressed against hers steady for only a moment before her lips acted in kind. Her hand flew up to his hair and ran through the feathers and strands behind his ear. He felt her smile against his lips and he chuckled into their kiss.

Diaval pulled back, "You didn't stay around long enough for me to finish my talk with the little ones earlier. I love _you_, mistress. Having known that for as long as I have, nothing has changed. I will still never leave your side."

"Silly raven," she brushed her fingers through his hair, "I don't do guessing games. You must tell me such things, for I seem to be oblivious to the obvious."

"No worry. I will remind you frequently," he pecked her lips.

"... I will never want you to leave."

"Good, because I will never want to leave you."

"I will be harsh."

"I will be understanding."

"I will... I love you."

He grinned widely, "I still love you. Always have."


	8. Mission Impossible

**A/N**: The prompt for this one is a little long, but I think it would be impossibly cute. PROMPT: Person A was sent to kill Person B but they got hurt and now Person B is naively nursing Person A back to health and calling them cute pet names and Person A just cannot do this. It turned out to be its own monster, let me tell you. A lot longer than I thought it would be and so different than what I originally planned for plot. Once I start typing, all plans were out the door. Happy reading!

**Chapter**: Mission Impossible

"Well, it looks like everything is in order. You will have a protection order if you so choose and an unmarked vehicle parked on your block," the officer read off from a page and stood up to stretch out his legs. His deep voice echoed off the walls of the dank and blank walls of the interrogation room walls around them making it seem more like a cave or dungeon, "Do you have any questions?"

A younger man sat behind the table, his hands in his lap as he scanned his eyes around the room and then to the officer in front of him, "Is all this really all that necessary? He doesn't even know who I am."

"You can't think that he doesn't," the officer warned and sat down across from him again, "You are the only witness that we have against Stefan Barnes."

"I'm not even sure if what you're saying is what I actually saw," he argued and leaned on the table. He folded his hands over one another on the steel surface, "You all are making speculations at this point."

The officer opened the statement that he just signed, "You saw Mr. Barnes walk into the coffee house and joined Henry Perce at the table. After they talked over a few items- including the addition of Stefan to the man's will as successor- Henry was distracted. You noticed Stefan add something to his cup. A sip later and the man is dead. Yes, you don't know what was in that addition, but you can see where we would connect the dots."

"It could have been sugar and the poor guy choked on the bagel he was eating!"

"And the coroner just happened to find a fatal dose of Atropine in the system?"

The guy leaned back in his chair a little exasperated, "Why would Barnes single me out?"

"How many other patrons were in that coffee shop at the time?"

"We have been over this. Other than them, it was me and two men at the front."

"Those other two men are already dead. Car wreck, highly suspicious," the officer shook his head, "Mr. Barnes has connections to the darker parts of our city."

"Like?"

"Like assassins."

"Assassins?" a moment passed as he waited for the punchline, but it never came about, "I'm starting not to take this seriously. If you think that this man is truly guilty and you need my help, I will. I will testify that I was in the coffee shop, enjoying my morning when a gentleman died and I saw something go into his cup before hand. But I don't think that statement is worth my life. I doubt they would think that either. Any lawyer worth their merit could argue what went into that cup."

"Or just rid of the problem to begin with," the officer argued back, but then shook his head, "Don't come back to haunt us when you get taken out by someone like Black Feather, Phoenix or the Green Curse."

"I am an insignificant man in the larger realm of things," he pushed up from the chair, "Can I go now?"

"You are free to go and live your life. However short you make it, Mr. Fitheach."

"Diaval, please," he threw back and then walked out the door.

Diaval left the police station and shook his head at the slight audacity of the officers. How a morning coffee and something to nibble on can lead to a murder investigation he had no idea. Now, all he wanted was something to eat and head home.

As he reached his car in the parking lot, he noticed a small puddle of liquid from under one of the back tires. He leaned down and took a peek to see liquid not only falling from the one tire, but from the other back tire as well. He hummed to himself and leaned back.

"That doesn't look good, 'ol girl," he patted the trunk of his car from the bumper.

He frowned at his reflection in the chrome and noticed another form behind him. He looked over his shoulder and his chin nearly dropped to the ground. Diaval looked up to see one of the most stunning women he had ever met. Her eyes nearly glowed green with hazel gold, sculpted cheek bones and her brunette hair straight and shining under the sun. A small shoulder bag hung at her side. She wore a flowing dress that still was able to show off her slim figure and a short dark jacket and covered her top. Her hands were behind her back as she looked over him.

"Is everything all right?" she only lifted her brow as she looked him over.

He quickly scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off in front of her, unsure of how to continue without making himself out being a complete fool. His mouth opened and closed in an attempt to say something. _Anything._

"With your car?" she asked as if she needed to explain her inquiry further.

"Oh!" Diaval turned back to his car and then back to her, "She's a bit of an older vehicle. Been falling apart for years. Need to get myself another new model, you know?"

"Is uh... _she_ safe to drive?"

"Probably not," Diaval shrugged and bumped the tire with his toe, "I am no mechanic, but she seems to be leaking some kind of fluid. No problem, I will catch a cab more than likely."

At that point his stomach began to growl and he looked mortified as he looked from his stomach to the woman. He scratched at the back of his head in embarrassment, "Sorry, I'm a bit peckish. Been in a meeting all morning."

"If you head down 5th street, there is a lovely little bistro-" she offered and began to point before she stopped and took his hand, "Come with me."

"W-wh-hat?" he stammered, but let her lead him irregardless.

They found a booth with no problem and she sat down across from him. She peered over at him, her eyes narrowed as she looked him over. He was nothing special as far as he knew. Dark hair, darker eyes and a penchant for dark clothes as well. He desperately hoped that she didn't think he was into the darker side of life. He actually enjoyed the brighter side quite a bit.

"You are a bit of a quiet one, aren't you?" she asked and took off the short jacket. It slid off her shoulders and fell beside her in the booth seat. She grabbed the menu and began to peruse the selection in practiced familiarity.

"Just wait until you get to know me," Diaval shook himself out of a quiet stupor, "Then it's a bit of a difference, I am afraid."

"Afraid? You talk too much?" she asked with a slight frown though she kept her eyes on the menu.

"I wouldn't say that either," he shrugged and tried to distract himself with the menu as well, "I don't slip secrets or anything of the sort, but once I am familiar with you, I start to spout gibberish or facts about things that I find interesting. My interests aren't always everyone's cup of tea."

There was a slight pause and he flicked his eyes up to find her staring at him again as if waiting for something.

"Such as?" she prompted.

"Oh, well," he looked out the window for a moment, his brain scrambling to remember his own interests. Sitting not to far away from them on a small tree were two ravens and he smiled, "Ravens."

"Ravens?" she tilted her head and another brow lift.

"Yes, did you know they have to be the most intelligent of birds? Right up there with chimps and dolphins as far as brains in the animal kingdom."

"You don't say," she said in a aloof tone, but he saw the slight smirk in the corner of her lips.

The waiter came back to the table, "Are you ready?"

"We will both have the lobster bisque with a basket of french bread to share with extra sharp cheddar," she handed her and his menu to the waiter without another word. The waiter bowed and walked to the kitchen.

"How did you know I wanted the bisque?" he tilted his head.

"I'm a very observant individual. I saw your eyes drift to it more than once," she nodded and looked at him again. She leaned forward on the table, her perfect skin almost luminescent in the bistro's dim lights, "Tell me something else."

"About ravens? Sure, they are very adaptable. Able to trick most of their predators to actually hunt for them. They can mimic a wolf's howl so that a pack will take down an elk or open up a fresh kill and the raven will feast on what is left. Not only that, they usually know if they are being watched and will try to trick other birds on where their hoard is hidden. Clever things. They are also very empathetic. Care very fondly for one another."

"You are passionate about them."

"They're on my family crest. I started young," he scratched the back of his head a little in embarrassment.

"Do you see some raven qualities in yourself?" she asked as the bread and cheddar was placed between them. She immediately took a slice of the bread and a piece of cheese to her plate to nibble on.

"Adaptability, I would say so," he nodded and then shrugged, "I don't know about intelligence as I keep putting myself in bad situations."

"Is that why you were in the police station?" she asked.

"More of wrong place, wrong time, but nothing on the criminal spectrum, I assure you."

She hummed to herself and took a bite of the french bread and the cheese. She shifted in her seat and then her jacket fell to the floor. She muttered something as she put a hand to her mouth so she wouldn't spit out her bite.

"I got it," Diaval assured her and picked up the jacket from the floor. He handed it back to her and she nodded her thanks after she finally swallowed. She put the jacket on the other side of her.

"The bread and cheese is so good here," she mentioned and looked up at the waiter as he set down their bisque, "Thank you."

"I am more of meat eater," Diaval mentioned and picked up his spoon to dig in to his bisque, "Even if it is shellfish."

She looked a little disappointed, but continued with her meal.

The rest of the meal was spent talking over his other interests- food critiquing mostly. Then it turned to her quite quickly as he wanted to know more about her.

Hesitantly at first, she told him very vague things of her childhood and her family. Her parents had been killed on the same day, leaving her distant relatives to care for her. The harsher life that she fell into after being used to more grand things when her parents were still alive. She even went into the silly crush in her youth that turned into a dead end. After minutes slipped by and an hour almost passed them by, she relaxed and more of herself opened to the stranger. Her standoffish nature melted away with the minutes and she even found herself smiling at something that he said, but then the smile would turn sad and she would build another wall up behind her eyes.

"I still manage to find myself still at his beck and call," she sighed heavily and scooped at the last of her bisque with the last bit of her first slice of bread. She popped it into her mouth and then sighed, "He calls for favors and I fulfill them. Even now, when he has moved on and married and has a child of his own."

"You still love him?" Diaval asked and poked his spoon in her direction.

"I don't even know anymore," she answered truthfully and looked at his bowl, "Are you going to finish?"

"I _am_ finished," he pouted with a slight chuckle and looked at his bowl which held smeared remnants of his bisque.

"No, you are not," she frowned and reached over to pick up another piece of french bread. She put it in front of his face to show him, then mopped the bottom of her bowl with the bread until it was clean and took the bite that had the bisque. She nodded then as if to show him that was the way it was done.

"If you say so," he huffed and frowned at his bowl, "I think that I'm all full. You know, we've been here talking this whole time and I don't even know your name or why you'd even want to sit down with me."

There was a long silence and he looked up to find her eyes dilated and her breath shallow. She blinked slowly a couple of times before she frowned a looked at the table confused.

"Are you okay?"

"I- I- so stupid," she gasped between breaths and dug into her purse. She brought out a vile and drank some of the substance inside. She took deep breaths after and continued to blink slowly.

"You need help, I'll call-"

"No!"she yelled tough it was quite slurred and put her hand over his, "No ambulance, no police... please. I'll be fine- had medicine."

"Are you having a reaction to the food?" he asked and put his other hand over hers.

"You could say that," she smirked and began to waiver in her seat.

"I need to get you out of here," he whispered to her and she only bobbed her head.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

"She's having a bad reaction to the food. I don't know why," he said and walked around the booth to grab her jacket and threw it over her shoulders, "I will pay in a moment, but we have to leave now."

"We did not know that she was allergic to shellfish-"

"It wasn't the shellfish," Diaval muttered, "She got sick after eating more of that bread."

"Take your wife home, sir. We will take care of the check," a manager came up from behind the waiter, "She doesn't look well to stay."

"Thank you," Diaval didn't bother in correcting his assumption and picked her off her seat. He pulled her arm over his neck as she wobbled as soon as she stood. He held her tight around her waist and pulled her against him so she wouldn't fall to the floor. They made their way out to the curb and waved down a taxi. He settled her in the cab and then sat next to her, "Where are we going?"

"Going? Are we on a trip?" she asked with a hand to her chest.

"One of us is," Diaval noted and looked to the cab driver, "Home it is."

He gave the cab driver his address and they were off.

Once they got to the apartment building Diaval helped her out of the cab, to the elevator and all the way in to his studio apartment. He laid her gently on the bed and headed to the sink. He dampened a washcloth with cool water and came back over to her. He patted her forehead with the cloth and noticed that her breathing had finally evened out.

"Are you still with me?" he asked and brushed the washcloth carefully over her forehead, "You gave me quite a scare back there."

"Barely," she huffed and her eyes fluttered open, "I'll be okay. Took medicine. Do not call-"

"I know, no doctors, no cops," he smirked, "Just like me to find a stunning woman with a possible sketchy past. Don't even know your name. This is what I mean about the lack of intelligence."

She gave a soft smile back at him and put a gentle hand at his cheek, "Such a empathetic raven, you are."

"That's me," he nodded, "Are you okay to sleep?"

"Sleep would be good," she nodded and turned her head into the pillow.

"Well, we may be here for a little while," he hummed and went to re-wet the cloth.

Diaval didn't leave her side for more than a few moments at a time over the next few hours. She would talk in her sleep of ripped wings and dangerous places, but nothing that made sense. He trusted that she knew what she had talked about with the medication and he hoped to God that she would wake up good as new. Evening time came about and he cooked basic bacon and eggs at his stove as that was all he had in the fridge. He was not used to company and he definitely did not see her coming into his life.

"Are you cooking bacon at this hour?"

He quickly turned to the voice from the side of the room. She sat up in the bed, a hand to her head as she blinked and tried to make sense of her surroundings.

"... and eggs," he added with a nod. He took the pan off the fire and walked over to her, "Do you need anything? You've been out for the past five or six hours now."

"Water," she said and grimaced as she held her head.

"As my mistress commands," he nodded and went to the fridge to pull out a bottled water. He brought it back to her and sat at the end of the bed.

"Mistress?" she asked as she took a sip.

"I still don't know your name," he offered back and shrugged his shoulders, "With you getting as sick as you did, I thought that you had the right to order me about if you needed. So, what else does my mistress ask of me?"

"I have been out cold for the last five or six hours and the worst you have done is come up with a nickname for me?" she asked a little shocked.

"Another thing you need to know of ravens," he stood up and pulled at the front of his shirt, "We are gentlemen through and through."

"And here I thought that you could have been a dragon," she added on.

"I bet if you give me the right motivation," he shrugged and turned to the stove, "I'll get you a plate."

She watched after him and looked over the side of the bed where her purse laid on the floor. It was still partially open, but she found all of her items there. Everything that she had was still in the same pockets, the same lay out that she had meticulously put them in. He didn't even look for a wallet- a phone. He just trusted her to know and do what she asked of him.

"You trusted me..." she whispered. Then to the side of her bag was a bowl of water and a few drying washcloths on the rim. He had cared for her during the time she was out. She knew so many people who would have left her on the curb, but he took a stranger into his home and helped her in whatever way he could, "You tried to help me."

"You seemed to know what you were doing with that medication, but you were getting warm and weren't sweating. I hoped that you weren't running a fever. Whatever you had a reaction to from the bread was bad," he said as he came back over to her and handed her the plate with a fork, "Hope you can eat something now, Mistress."

"I don't need you to call me Mistress," she narrowed her eyes playfully at him.

"Well, then I will need to call you something," he smirked and went to grab his own plate. He sat down at the end of the bed again, "You can call me Diaval."

She looked him over and shook her head before she let out a single syllable, "Mal."

"Okay, Mal," he smiled brightly and then began to eat.

She took a long look at him one more time before she began to eat.

A few hours passed since she first woke up and during that time they found more to talk about between his food critiquing and her mysterious food allergy to pass the time. He also showed her his collection of polished gem stones as he was always drawn to shiny things and strange little nick-knacks. She told him some of the gemstones were used in a variety of ways and he was enamored with her knowledge.

She looked at his bookcase where there was a picture of him and a little girl with golden curls, "You have a daughter?"

"Oh, no," Diaval smirked as he caught sight of the picture she was looking at, "That's Rory. She's my little sister."

"She doesn't look like you. I don't see the family resemblance."

"Not blood related," Diaval walked up to her and pointed to the shirts that they were wearing in the picture, "Part of the big brother program. Knew her since she was just a little thing. Her parents aren't around much. She usually stays with her aunts for the most part. Her mother's busy with her own father and his business and I never met Rory's father. She doesn't talk about him much."

"Hm," Mal hummed and drew a finger down the girl's hair, "Pretty little thing."

"Turning sixteen in a few months. Throwing her a party since her father won't."

"You sound more like a father than a brother," she folded her arms over her chest.

"Sometimes feels like it,too. I call her my little fledgling," he took a pause and looked at Mal, "She would get a kick out of you."

"Would she?"

"Always likes a puzzle, just like me," he laughed at her expression.

She paused for a moment as if in deep thought, "You are a good man, Diaval."

"I don't know about that, I'm just trying to do my best with the cards I'm dealt," he felt his cheeks heat for a moment and walked toward the washroom to make sure he didn't embarrass himself.

"Diaval?"

"Yes, Mistress?" he asked as he reached the door.

She frowned again at the nickname, "Thank you again for your hospitality... and the meal."

"Anytime," he hesitantly turned back at to her and leaned on the door frame, "Would be quite happy to do it again, in fact."

"We shall see, you silly bird," she teased him.

He excused himself to the restroom, but when he came back out she was gone and there was a small handwritten 'Thanks again' on his bed.

"We shall see," he whispered and let out a sigh before actually getting some sleep.

Over the course of the next few days, Diaval was able to pick up his car from the police lot. He found out that it was his brake lines that were leaking from behind his tires. Definitely not a good sign. He was happy that he noticed the leak, otherwise he would have been devastated if something happened to Mal if he had tried to drive them to his apartment in his car after her food allergy episode. The cops were even more paranoid- as was the usual.

He walked down the sidewalk on his way to the market for some essentials when he turned the corner and ran right into someone. They both spun for a moment and he landed with his back against the brick wall and the other person right in front of him. He looked down and a smile bloomed on his face.

"Mistress!"

"Hello, silly bird," she greeted and dusted herself off as she took a step back from him.

"I'm not just a bird, a raven," he corrected and pushed himself from the wall.

She turned to one side and pulled him with her as he heard something hit the wall where he just was, "What are you doing, running around without your car?"

"She's falling apart," he shrugged. He heard something hit the ground behind him and he turned his head to look, "Ready for a new one, I think."

"You could always walk and taxi," she shifted again and pulled him with her with a grip at his sleeve.

"I guess- what are you doing?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Thinking," she narrowed her eyes, "Are you free tonight?"

"I- I... uhm, yeah," he muttered out.

"Good, come with me," she looped her arm through his and began to walk down the opposite corner of the building.

"Where are you leading me this time?" he asked, but was happy to be led.

"Dancing," she smiled up at him as she led him to a little hole in the wall dance bar, "It's as close to flying as you can get around here."

The next few weeks continued on much like that day. To or from work, Diaval would bump into Mal or vice versa and they spent the rest of the day or evening together. They would have dinner- taking great care with any gluten- or would enjoy one another's company in an outing. He even introduced her to Rory on one occasion. She was a bit uncomfortable with the teenager at first, but warmed up to her in mere moments. Rory had a way to do that with people. When she had left to walk to the town car her mother sent for her she had hugged Mal goodbye. It shocked the usual stoic woman who lightly hugged her back.

"She is quite delightful," Mal said as they waved down at Rory from his window, "You've done a wonderful job with her."

"She's a good kid all her own. Didn't need me," he waved her compliment away and then turned from the window. He walked to the television and held up a couple of disks, "What's it to be tonight? Horror or slap stick?"

"You know I enjoy a good blood bath," she smiled warmly over her shoulder. He went back to the player to get the disk ready while she turned back to the window. She looked up at the top of the next building over and frowned.

"Are you ready?" he asked from the couch.

"Yes, just going to close the blinds," she said quietly and she moved to do just that.

The court hearing finally came and Diaval was asked to come to play witness. He dressed his best as it was still a court room and rolled his neck. He really disliked court. Even if he was just to be a witness.

"Are you sure you should do this?" Mal asked from the end of the bed as he fiddled with his tie, "The police are constantly at your block and haven't lost sight of you in weeks. What if they really have something to this whole assassination attempt?"

"If there was a hit on me, I would have noticed it by now," he rolled his eyes and walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her to look her directly in the eyes, "And I wouldn't have let you anywhere near me if it meant that my dear mistress was in danger."

"I know you wouldn't," she pinched his chin playfully and looked at the mess of a tie he had on, "Let me see this."

He sat still as she fixed his tie and pulled on it to make it secure. He watched her face as she concentrated on the knot. Her straight hair fell flawlessly over her shoulders and her lips pressed and puckered as she worried over the tie in her hands. Her beautiful eyes swept from one side of his collar to the other and then to his face when she had finished. For a moment he couldn't catch his breath.

He coughed into his hand to clear his throat, "How do I look?"

"All preened and ready to go," she smiled and carded a hand through his hair, "Handsome raven as ever."

"You coming with?"

"Of course I am," she smirked and followed him to the door, "Need to make sure you stay in one piece."

"And just what are you going to do to an assassin should one come after _me_?" he asked as he opened the door for her.

"You'd be surprised."

After the hearing they stood outside the courtroom and heard that the case was going to trial. In part thanks to his testimony and there were also more factors and evidence to consider.

Diaval nodded to her and then toward the elevator. He laughed to himself as they waited, "Well, if they wanted me dead before, it's going to be worse now."

"Stop talking like that," she hit his chest with the back of her hand.

"Should I take them up on the safe house?" he joked, earning yet another hit to his chest.

"Mister Fitheach!" a voice called from down the hall.

Both Mal and he turned to see Stefan and his lawyer walk toward them. Mal stood in front of Diaval as they approached. Diaval put his hand on her arm and took the step in front of her in response.

"Don't think it's a good move to talk to a witness outside of court, Mister Barnes," Diaval said and stuck his hands in his pockets, "I don't have anything for you."

"All my client wants is the truth," the attorney summarized.

"Then he needs to remember what he put in that cup of coffee. I told them what I saw. I didn't say it was poison and I didn't say it was creamer. The jury can think for themselves on the contents."

"You little piece of crap," Stefan took a step toward him.

Mal was instantly in front of Diaval and took a long look at Stefan in the eyes.

"Mally," Stefan breathed out and looked from her to Diaval and then back again, "Not as strong as I thought you were."

"Stronger than you ever dared to hope," she growled back at him.

"I would sleep with one eye open, Fitheach," Stefan said as he still stared at Mal, "She's not who you think she is."

"Come on, Stefan," his attorney pulled at his client's arm to the elevator.

As soon as the elevator door closed Mal let out a breath.

"I didn't know you knew him."

"I thought that I did," she muttered and looked at Diaval who just looked confused and a little hurt. She took another deep breath in, "I need to tell you something."

"Something that is better in private, I think," he nodded and pushed her toward the other elevator that arrived.

Once they made it to his apartment, he threw off his jacket and pulled off his tie. He sat on his small couch and looked up at her, "So?"

Mal shuffled on her feet and opened her mouth a few times to start, but couldn't get very far past one word. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head as she struggled with words. He got back off his couch and went to the cupboard for a glass and something harder to drink than water.

"This is harder for me than you think it should be," she finally said after he took a shot.

"He's the childhood crush, I get it," Diaval nodded and turned to lean back against his stove, his arms crossed over his chest, "Did he send you to- what? Provoke me? Threaten me? Distract me?"

"No, he... he," she muttered and let out a muffled scream from between her teeth in frustration, "He did much worse."

"How's that?" Diaval tilted his head to the side in wonder and then shook his head, "How could it be any worse than throwing your ex at a man even though she still had feelings for you? What kind of man would do that to someone who clearly cares for him?"

Mal's lips trembled a little and she looked away for a moment to pace.

"Did he tell you to keep seeing me? Running into me?"

"No!" she fumed, her temper now beginning to show.

"Then why do it?!"

"To keep you _safe_!" she screamed and threw her bag across the room and onto his bed.

"Safe? From what?"

"From others like me," her shoulders dropped and she stared at him with a gloss over her eyes, "Others that would take my place and try to kill you."

"Kill me?" he narrowed his eyes at her and opened his mouth to say something else, until he ran right at her. He caught her around the middle and they both dropped to the floor just a moment before the vase behind her shattered. He stayed over her for a moment before he looked over at his windows, now wide open instead of closed and locked like before. He then looked up at the wall and noticed the red dot that had been over Mal's chest. He looked down at her and raised a single finger, "We are not done with this discussion."

She nodded and looked toward the bed where she threw her purse, "My gun is in my purse."

"You smuggled a gun into the courthouse?"

"I always have a firearm handy," she said nonchalantly.

"Strange," Diaval muttered and then rolled to his couch a foot away and hit the side panel of the base. The panel slid out and pulled a small glock with a silencer. He handed it to her and then pulled out a rifle with the same outfitting before he closed it up again. He checked for ammunition and then looked back at her again, "I'm the same way."

Her eyes were so large at that point, he didn't know if they were going to fall out of her head.

"Get this guy off our tail and then we have a long night of questions ahead of us. Agreed?"

"Agreed," she breathed out.

"I'll take the East window."

"I'll take the West," she nodded and they both crawled toward their windows.

"Think you know who it is?" Diaval asked as he carefully set up his rifle and looked out the scope.

"If I had to guess, it would be Borra," she explained and tried to get a good feel on where he was set up, "If there was anyone that would take the contract on you and get to take me out as a bonus, it would be him."

"Type?"

"Bulky, likes his muscles and rifle do the talking," Mal growled, "Not much going on up stairs."

"Good, won't be as big of a mess."

"He's on the Southern edge. Laser scope."

"I see him," Diaval focused his sight and just as the laser pointed his way again, he squeezed and no more laser. No more shooter.

"Hold for a moment," Mal said before either of them moved from their places. A second lazer came into view from a story down from Borra, "There is another."

"Yeah, I see the end of the rifle, but not them," Diaval frowned and leaned back, "They have a better shot at me then I do of them."

He heard the soft shot through the silencer from his other window. The end of the other rifle fell back and then it was still. He looked over her Mal who shook her head and stood from her spot at the window.

"You hit them with the glock?"

"I had a shot," she said as if he had insulted her, "Give me some credit."

He finally shut his window and walked over to shut hers, "Okay, so questions and answers."

"How?" she asked and held up the glock, "You're a _food critic_."

"_Part-time_ food critic," he corrected and took the glock from her before he went to put it back into the couch hide hole, "You know how I wasn't worried about assassins?"

"Yes, I thought that you were being way too under prepared for it."

"Ever heard of Black Feather?"

"That's you?"

He laughed, "I really had hoped that they would pick up on the feathers left on the bodies belonged to a raven, but when you leave it to the media to name you..."

"Raven... you and ravens," she shook her head and sat on the back of the couch to face him.

"Like you should talk," he smirked and sat next to her, "Phoenix."

"How long have you known?"

"Since you picked me up from the police parking lot," he admitted and looked at the floor at their feet, "I knew that someone was after me when my break lines were cut. Then a gorgeous woman takes me to lunch out of no where? What did you have behind your back at the car?"

"Injectable nightshade," she said quickly as if to soften the blow, "You saw me quick. I'm glad you did."

"Good trick with the jacket at the bistro," he shook his finger at her, "Would have tricked most men. I'm sorry I didn't stop you from eating that second slice. I thought that you knew which slices were safe to ingest since you put the poison on there."

She laughed under her breath, "Yes, that. I got distracted."

"Oh, how the tables have turned," he smiled and bumped her shoulder with his, "I distracted you into poisoning yourself. That is a new one."

"Stop that, you insufferable raven," she rolled her eyes at his laughter and looked at his profile, "Then you knew what I was doing after that day."

"You probably tried to get the gang to call off the hit on me on the days following our meeting," he guessed at which she nodded and then he frowned, "But once you found out someone else tried to take up the bounty, you came to keep me out of harms way- you know, I thought those were bullets hitting behind me."

"They were."

"What changed from today where they targeted you too?"

"Stefan," she shook her head and her teeth ground together, "He put the hit on you to begin with, just like the other men who were caught in that coffee shop with you. He asked me to take care of it. When he saw me with you today, he finally realized that I truly wasn't going to go through with it. I wasn't going to kill you. I was going to protect you. I then became the second target."

Diaval took a moment and finally looked back at her, "Not that I'm glad you didn't keep trying to kill me after your _disastrous_ first attempt, but why didn't you?"

She looked at him, deep in his dark eyes and shook her head, "I was being stupid and reckless and sentimental..."

He chuckled and she laughed lightly with him.

She took his hand in hers to poke at his palm, "And, I may just had fallen in love with you."

"After that first day?"

"No, I knew you were a good man after that first day," she rectified and kept a hold of his hand, drawing over the lines in his palm, "Then I got to know you, and Rory. More and more and it just grew. You were the first one to genuinely ask after me. About me."

Her head suddenly lifted in a single notion, "You _did_ want to know me?"

"Yeah, I did," Diaval nodded and pulled at the hand that was in his, "I still do."

"After everything that I told you? After you know what I am?"

"A killer just like me?"

"You kill the bad guys. You're a vigilante and a hired gun for those you deem worthy. I've read up on you," she smirked, "The blood on your hands is merited, mine is dirty... so very dirty."

"Blood is blood. We've both done things that we regret- some things that we will never speak of because we think it will label us monsters. Things we blame ourselves for. I know your track record too. Every single target," he answered and took a deep breath. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight to his side, "The worst part is, I love you anyway."

She smiled up at him and then leaned her head on his shoulder as he hugged her to him.

"I need to let you know something," he whispered into her hair above her.

"More?" she asked as she pulled away.

"Yeah," he squinted and rubbed the back of his head, "I was supposed to kill you too."

"What?" she frowned.

"After you killed me, actually," he chuckled a little, "Stefan tried to contact Black feather to take out another hit man after they finished with their target. He wanted to tie up loose ends. I think he figured out that wasn't going to happen either. He kept asking, I kept ignoring him. He finally gave up."

"So, we were asked by the same man to kill each other?" she asked and narrowed her eyes at him, "I think that we should at least let him know that the contracts cannot be completed. Don't you?"

"Absolutely," he nodded as she tried to pull away from him. He caught her arm and pulled her back to sit in front of him, "But before we do-"

She looked at him in question until he leaned forward and kissed her. His hand lifted to gently caress her cheek and fingers gently stroked the hair pinned behind her ear. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She nearly crawled into his lap as he tried to steer them to the bed.

Much later that night, they found themselves wrapped in the sheets in his bed as they planned their first of many team contracts.


End file.
